Sine Gloria
by yuuyacchi
Summary: Claudia is one of the few Vestales chosen to assist Lady Scheherazade in her duties as the High Priestess of Reim. But dark things are stirring, so when a man with a funny hat offers her the power of kings, she is forced to choose where to lay her loyalties—her country or the rest of the world. Muu x OC x Sinbad
1. The Golden Child

**Edit:** 18 Jul 15

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_Chapter One_ | **The Golden Child**

"You're here again."

The young girl's long blonde hair whipped around her like a golden tornado as she sharply turned around, unsheathing her dagger. Metal met metal with a loud screech, and, with a grunt, the girl pushed all her weight onto her dagger. But the man—no, he was still just a _boy_—before her would not budge.

"Muu Alexius!" she shouted, her voice dripping with hatred as she held the hilt of her dagger with two hands, pushing with all her might. The soles of her leather sandals skidded across the grimy floor of the Colosseum's underground, but still, it was like she was pushing against a wall. Considering her opponent was a Fanalis—though just half—she was not deterred the slightest in her effort, but she _was_ a bit annoyed.

The man—no, _boy_; just a boy of sixteen who was unfairly tall and strong, and had the most aggravating personality in the world—sighed as he brought down his sword. Her dagger scratched against the chest plate of his armor when she fell forward in surprise. She dropped to her knees in front of him, and he had on the most infuriating, disarmingly charming smile as she looked up to glare at him.

"Bastard—!" she shouted as she lunged forward, infusing her small dagger with magoi. It was a technique that Shambal Ramal of the Yambala Gladiators had taught her in exchange for representing him in a game of dice. She had been graciously lucky at the time, and had won him a small fortune—at least, it was enough to pay off whatever he had lost so far that day and some extra to assure that he could keep playing until sundown. He still lost it all in the end, but the deal had not been bad at all on her side.

Muu Alexius expressed surprise at her newly learned technique. But nevertheless, he had also trained under the Yambala and was familiar with their moves. He easily parried her attack by infusing his own sword with a small amount of magoi.

"You've picked up a nasty little trick there," he commented, grinning as he hit her wrist with the hilt of his sword. She yelped out in pain and her dagger flew a few feet away. Falling back to the ground, she cradled her hurt wrist in her other hand. Muu Alexius pointed the end of his sword at her neck and crouched down in front of her with his stupid grin on his stupid face.

" . . . You've been to the casinos again," he stated. "What a shameless priestess you are, going to such horrible places all the time."

Weaponless, she could only growl in reply.

Muu's grin only stretched wider at the sight. She looked like a cornered housecat.

The twelve-year old girl jutted out her lower lip in a pout as he stood up and sheathed his sword.

"So, what are you doing here again?" He offered a hand to help her up, but she slapped it away with her uninjured one. She turned from him with a dramatic flip of her hair, going over to where her dagger lay.

"That's none of your business!" she replied hotly, carefully sheathing her dagger after picking it up. She walked further inside the cavernous underground, to the area where the sword slaves and fighting beasts were kept.

Scratching the back of his head, Muu sighed as he resigned himself to follow her. Lady Scheherazade would not be happy if her youngest Vestalis came back worse for wear. The little blonde girl gave him a quick glare over her shoulder when she heard him following, hastening her steps inside. He followed her with an even pace, nodding in acknowledgement at the sparse guards they met. Considering their general indifference to her presence, he assumed that she'd been doing this regularly for a while now. This little one was particularly hard to deny, especially when she started throwing tantrums and screaming like an absolute brat.

She was worse than his little sister—who was half-Fanalis and over five years younger than her, so if that didn't say something, then he had no idea what would.

"Claudia, did you come to see that new monster they put in yesterday?" Muu asked.

"Don't call her a monster! If there's a monster in Reim, it's you!" she snapped back before running into the one of the tunnels.

Rolling his eyes, Muu shared a look with one of the guards and they both chuckled under their breaths.

"As usual, she has a talent for keeping them in check," the guard told him. "She has permission from the manager to look at this one before its debut."

He chatted a bit with the guard about the Colosseum's newer fighters until Claudia came out around ten minutes later. Seeing him still there, she harrumphed, crossing her arms as she walked past him with loud, heavy, and exaggerated steps.

She ignored him as he followed her out of the underground. Back in the sunlight, he could see how much she had dirtied her usually pristine uniform. The back of her skirt was particularly filthy, probably from when she fell earlier. He pulled at her hair, and she made a sound that resembled a disgruntled cat.

"What the—!?"

"You're filthy," he proclaimed, turning at the street corner. "Lady Scheherazade will be angry at you again. Come on, you can wash up at my place. Mother's been saying you haven't been visiting lately."

She made a face. As much as others couldn't deny her when she threw a tantrum and screamed like a brat, she couldn't deny him when he pulled out the mother card.

That woman was scary, end of story.

She followed him without hassle, but kept a five-foot distance. Stopping, he raised a hand over his shoulder, gesturing for her to walk beside him. It took her nearly a minute to travel the distance, and the people passing smiled at them, laughing behind their hands. Claudia was well-known around the capital as the High Priestess's troublesome little attendant, and they enjoyed the shows she—unintentionally—put on.

Well, most of the time anyway.

When she was finally beside him, he put a hand on her head, messing up her hair because he knew she hated it when he did that. She slapped his hand away with a grimace, muttering curses neither a twelve-year old nor a priestess-in-training should know. He sighed heavily as they began walking again, and she fussily fixed her hair, readjusting the position of the coronet around her head.

"So what have you been doing lately, besides checking on the fighting beasts?" he asked.

She crossed her arms, huffing as she faced away from him. "Like it has anything to do with you!"

He wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her closer to him before the children playing with barrels could mow her over. She spluttered in an undignified manner, cheeks red as she pushed away from him.

"D-D-Don't just suddenly d-d-d-do that!" she shouted with her head bowed to the pavement before running ahead.

Scratching his head, Muu muttered with a small smile, "She's always so easy to tease."

He walked back home at a leisurely pace, buying some apples for Claudia and Myron from a vendor on the way. When he finally arrived at his family's estate, one of the servants at the entrance informed him that his mother had taken both girls into the bath—apparently his little sister had been playing in the dirt too.

He climbed up the stairs, taking one of the apples and biting in as he headed to his parents' room. Placing the basket of fruit on the bed, he knocked twice on the bathroom door.

"Hey, I'm coming in—"

"—_DON'T_—!"

He was met with a wet towel to the face when he opened the door. The half-eaten apple fell to the floor.

"Ah, Brother can't look!" Myron shouted, and the little brat threw a bar of soap at him.

"Shoot—_Myron_!" That hurt much more than the towel, especially since she could throw much, _much _harder than Claudia could even though she was younger. He rubbed his sore forehead for respite, and to wipe the suds and the residue off before it reached his eyes or mouth.

The three females were in the tub, the overabundant bubbles hiding what needed to be hidden, though it wasn't like there was a point to it, since there wasn't anything he hadn't seen before.

"Muu!" His mother held the two girls in her arms, the blonde one with her face nestled in the crook of the Fanalis woman's neck, and his little sister sticking out a tongue at him while peeking over the edge of the tub. "Claudia and Myron are growing young ladies! What are you doing peeping at them in the bath!?"

He had no excuse for Claudia but, "Myron's six. There's nothing to see—_ow_!" The soap dish was thrown at him this time, and he was starting to think that the brat had unnaturally good aim for someone so young. It hit him square on the forehead again. Their mother cooed in pride. "Okay! Fine! I'm getting out!"

"Stupid Muu!" Claudia snarled at him just as he was about to shut the door. He turned around to retort, but he caught sight of his mother's face and hurriedly got out of the bathroom.

He picked up the basket of apples again, glancing at his reflection in the mirror before leaving the room. An angry red spot throbbed on his forehead, and he mumbled a bit about younger sisters with too good aims before heading back downstairs to wait for them someplace less dangerous.

* * *

They were out nearly an hour later, and he had to stop himself from finishing them all after he noticed he'd already snacked on practically half.

"Why does taking a bath take so long?" he questioned as they entered the dining room, his mother picking out apples from the basket. Calling a slave to bring over a knife and a plate, she sat on the seat opposite his, with Claudia and Myron on her left and right, respectively.

"It was a bit hard to properly wash out the grime in Claudia's hair, and Myron wouldn't stay still," his mother replied dismissively as she began removing the skin from one of the apples. Myron stood on her seat, intently watching their mother's hands as she handled the knife. Claudia looked everywhere but him.

Eyes roving her form once, he noted that she wore the clothes his mother hoarded for when Myron grew up. The off-white tunic looked fine, but the bright red of the sash clasped on one shoulder didn't quite suit her—it stood out too much against her pale yellow hair and seafoam green eyes.

"What?" She had her lips pressed together, and the look in her narrowed eyes was cool and aloof, but the tips of her ears were singed with red.

"So, yeah—uh, sorry about a while ago," he apologized awkwardly, since his mother was giving him the look. "Shouldn't have done that. My bad."

Claudia sighed overdramatically. "I guess there's no stopping the flow of time; how sad. I kind of expected better from you, but I suppose you're still just a guy."

Something about the way she said that grated at his nerves more than her usual comebacks.

"Claudia, sweetheart, stay for dinner. Your clothes should have dried by then." His mother offered her the plate of sliced apples. Myron was already munching away. "Muu will bring you back to the House of the Vestales later."

Myron made faces at him when his hand moved to rub at his still-a-bit-sore forehead. She was grinning way too widely and had too much self-satisfaction oozing out of her. He half-heartedly threw an apple at her face, but she caught it in time. She stuck a tongue out at him and nagged their mother, who was talking to Claudia, to peel and cut it.

"Sweetie, I think it's time you learned to handle sharp things," their mother said, sitting Myron on her lap and putting the knife into her small hands.

Muu grimaced. "Mother, she's way too young—"

"Nonsense," the Fanalis woman decreed, maneuvering the knife in her daughter's hands across the apple to peel it. Myron's smile was bright as summer sunlight. "I learned how to handle knives at four."

Muu pinched the bridge of his nose.

"You haven't been in the Colosseum much lately."

He glanced over at the only blonde in the room, who was busying herself with the plate of apple slices.

"I've helping out Father in his work," he replied, and she paused in her apple slice inspection before staring at him with a ludicrous expression.

She clasped her hands on her lap, shoulders hunching forward. "You and . . . _politics_?"

"What's with that tone of voice?" he asked dryly as he placed an elbow on the table, cradling his chin in his hand.

Claudia turned to his mother with a serious face, "Auntie, is Reim going to be alright?"

"It's never been alright with my husband in the Senate."

"_Hey_."

"Honestly, Lady Scheherazade is a miracle-worker to keep this empire running with those idiots at its helm," his mother sighed exaggeratedly. "Magi are truly fearsome."

"Anyway, you're eventually going to have a say about the way things are run, too," Muu said, facing the blonde girl. "It's one of your privileges as a Vestalis—Lady Scheherazade might send you to represent her in meetings when you're older."

She gave him a blank look, tilting her head to the side. "But isn't it fine because I'm smarter than you?"

A toneless voice had never aggravated him so much before.

Muu grimaced, though said nothing in the contrary. He conceded that she was more academically-inclined than him. The Vestales were not merely attendants of the High Priestess—they were her apprentices whom she gifted with her knowledge and guidance. All who entered her service—not only into the College of the Vestales, but also the other assemblies she headed—came out as outstanding citizens of Reim, becoming doctors, scientists, teachers, and scholars.

Usually, the ones Lady Scheherazade chose to become her Vestales were magicians, but on a few rare occasions, she chose non-magicians as well. Claudia was one of those few exceptions—despite not being able to use magic, she had a large capacity for magoi and an almost frightening learning speed.

It made her a little arrogant, but it was within his tolerance limit. Usually.

It was only too true that Claudia was a brat who screamed really loudly when things didn't go her way, but since her way was usually the most effective despite how stupid or incomprehensible it seemed at first, rarely anyone actually denied her. She was called a lucky girl—a golden child—though most of the time it seemed like simple dumb luck was the reason behind things going her way.

If anyone other than Claudia made the choices she did, the outcomes would no doubt be vastly different.

"What? No comeback?" she asked curiously, obviously biting back the smug grin pulling at her lips.

Muu sighed, raising his hands in defeat. "I'm at least smart enough to concede on that point."

She covered her grinning mouth with her hand in a manner that _could_ be considered demure—that is, if her eyes weren't sparkling way too much.

"Oh? _Reaaally_ now?"

Muu sighed for the hundredth time that day.

* * *

Dinner had been uneventful compared to the rest of the day. His father conversed with Claudia all throughout the meal, asking her about the matters Lady Scheherazade dealt with. As usual, her manners, eloquence, and the grace she carried herself with around important people were impeccable, and absolutely incomparable to show she treated him.

Muu took Claudia back to the House of the Vestales once she got changed back into her own clothes after dinner. She carried what was left of the apples he bought earlier, as well as some fruits from the southern provinces his father had given her as a present.

Since she came from the southern provinces before she was brought to the capital, she was quite happy about the bunch of ugly, yellow-green fruits his father had given her. Although they smelled rank to him, when he warned her they may have rotten already, she said that that was how they were supposed to smell.

"You wouldn't understand the allure of such a high-class delicacy!"

"'Delicacy' is just what they call the horrible food that no sensible person would eat."

She kicked him in the shin, and his knee buckled. Scowling in pain, he made a mental reminder to himself to keep that girl away from Shambal Ramal.

She ran ahead, and he took a moment to fix the magoi flow in his leg. He easily caught up to her, grabbing her basket of fruits and catching her around the waist before throwing her over his shoulder.

"Let me go!" she screamed as she kicked and pounded on his back. People eyed them again, laughing behind their hands at the scene they made.

"Stay still already," Muu sighed tiredly, hooking his arm over the back of her knees. "Your skirt's riding up."

Her legs stopped moving immediately, but he could still feel her pounding on the back of his armor.

"Stupid Muu! Idiot Muu! Go bald, you girly-haired bastard!"

He did not give in, steadily ignoring her as he made his way to her home. Without garnering a reaction from him, her fit fizzled out in a mere thirty seconds. Soon, he could hear her making meowing sounds at the stray cat that was curiously following them.

"We're almost there. Tell your relative to stop following us already," he said, and it earned him a harsh tug on his hair. He grunted as his head was pulled back slightly, but it wasn't particularly painful.

At least, that was what he told himself to keep calm.

He let her down once the temple was in view. She huffed at him, crossing her arms and puffing out her cheeks. Although he was of the opinion that she was already too old for such childish actions—she turned thirteen soon after all—she was still short, and it made her look young enough to be able to pull it off and still have effect.

She harshly took the fruit basket when he offered it to her, turning away from him with another overdramatic flip of her hair. She stomped towards the entrance of the House of the Vestales, finally lightening her steps when she was only a few feet away from it.

Lady Scheherazade appeared at the top of the staircase when they entered the lobby, and they both fell into bows.

"Lady Scheherazade, a good evening to you!"

Claudia rolled her eyes at the ground. The guy was way too obvious. She stepped forward, curtsying before her mistress.

"I was invited by the lady of the Alexius household for dinner," she explained as Lady Scheherazade went down the stairs. "My apologies for coming back late." She held out her basket of fruits. "I was given gifts by the lord of the household—delicacies from my home province, which he has recently visited. I would be honored if the Lady Scheherazade and the other Vestales would taste it."

Lady Scheherazade simply nodded. "It's fine. I expect you made sure to thank him properly."

"Of course, my lady."

Lady Scheherazade nodded again. Turning to the half-Fanalis boy, she said, "Muu, thank you for accompanying Claudia back. I assume she was of no trouble?"

Muu stood from his bow, keeping a fist over his heart. "She was no trouble at all, Lady Scheherazade. My mother and Myron were ecstatic to see Claudia again."

"I see. I hope your family is doing well. You should head back before it gets too dark, Muu."

"Of course," he replied brightly. "It was wonderful seeing you, Lady Scheherazade."

The half-Fanalis dismissed himself with another bow, and the High Priestess looked steadily at her apprentice with half-lidded eyes. Claudia avoided her gaze, staring awkwardly to the side.

Lady Scheherazade sighed, the decorations on her staff tinkling as she turned to head back up the stairs. "You are much too fond of him. It worries me sometimes."

"I—" Claudia flushed red, scurrying up the stairs after her mistress. "It's not like that at all! He's just an annoying pervert who follows me around!"

The High Priestess stopped, turning to pat her apprentice on the head. Claudia fidgeted, her bright blush fading into a soft pink that stained her cheeks. She pouted slightly, biting on her lower lip as the decorations on Lady Scheherazade's staff jingled again.

"Come, Claudia. I am making a new clone tonight. This is your first time seeing the creation process, is it not?"

The young girl blinked, mouth hanging open in surprise. "It would be such an honor—!"

"Call Aquilia as well—she has also not seen the process yet," Lady Scheherazade said. "Come to the atrium after you fetch her. Coelia is already making the necessary preparations."


	2. The Crowned Head

**Edit:** 18 Jul 15

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_Chapter Two_ | **The Crowned Head**

The atrium under the Temple of the Sacerdos Maxima was the most magical place in the Empire.

It was a secret known to very few that the figure of the High Priestess seen in public was a clone. Only the Imperial Family, selected officials, the Vestales, and the Alexius family were privy to the location of Lady Scheherazade's real body.

The cavernous underground was a somewhat dismally-lighted place—a circular area surrounded by tall pillars and wide arches. The stone floor was cracked and covered with mossy undergrowth, a side effect of the high concentration of purple rukh that maintained the clones being raised and kept until it was time for them to serve their purpose.

Claudia observed listlessly from beside Lady Coelia, the Vestalis Maxima. She was the eldest in their college and the one who had served Lady Scheherazade the longest. As a Purple Magician, her affinity lay with the eighth type of rukh, and so she was the one who mainly took care of the clones.

"Claudia, as you are not a magician, you cannot see the flow of the rukh, but with your . . . experience in magoi manipulation," Lady Coelia started with a pointed look, "and with the density of their concentration in the atrium, you are able to sense it—even if only slightly—are you not?"

"Yes," Claudia replied, staring dully at the small, bloody mound of flesh and bone the older woman held in her hands. She could feel Aquilia's grip on her upper arm cutting off her blood flow.

Like Claudia, Aquilia Severa was a ministra. The Vestales were bound to serve Lady Scheherazade for thirty years, and were classified by the years of service they had rendered. The ministra were students—novices still in their first decade of service. They spent most of their time studying and learning under the guidance of Lady Scheherazade and the older Vestales. Those in their second decade of service were called magistra—scholars who taught classes, managed the librarium, and dealt with the daily affairs of their college. Finally, the magistra maior were those in their final decade of service, and they were the ones who worked most closely with Lady Scheherazade, becoming privy to the matters of state discussed by the Senate, sometimes even representing her in important meetings. A magistra maior could be named Vestalis Maxima, and was considered the head of the Vestales, second only in authority over the college to Lady Scheherazade herself.

Claudia was the newest member of the college, having completed only two years of service so far. Compared to the others, she had been chosen at a much older age—she was already ten, just a few months shy of eleven, when she was selected. The circumstances surrounding her appointment were quite controversial as well—she was the replacement of another Vestalis, Tuccia, who had entered the first dungeon, Baal, and had never come back.

The emperor had sent many of their finest to try and conquer the tower before their neighboring enemy country of Parthevia did, but all for naught. The High Priestess had finally grown tired of the meaningless deaths, sending in one of her own to try and end it all. Being the only Vestalis who was not a magician, Tuccia was the one sent to this tower which was not raised by Lady Scheherazade.

But Tuccia had failed as well. Some time after she was sent to the borders, news had spread that a Parthevian boy had been the one to conquer the dungeon, which had disappeared into nothingness. On this confirmation of Tuccia's death, Claudia's father had sent her to the capital when candidates for the open position were called for. It was more than probable that with a Parthevian conquering the dungeon, Reim would suffer more in the tensions that persisted. They lived close to the southern borders, and while the effects of war had not quite reached them, with that blow, it likely would.

Her father didn't want to raise his daughter in such an environment. Even if Claudia hadn't been chosen to be part of the Vestales, she would have been sent to the capital anyway—as the ward of one of her grandfather's acquaintances, and as far away from all the troubles as possible.

But that didn't mean she hadn't been exposed already.

"I-It's still m-m-moving," Aquilia muttered frightfully, her gaze shifting across the floor.

The bloody mound of flesh and bone Lady Coelia held seemed like it had its own heartbeat, a slight twitching observable on its bumped surface. The Vestalis Maxima placed it inside the cocoon-like item hanging from one of the numerous trees that grew in the atrium.

It had been explained to them beforehand that the threads used to spin it were laced with the different types of rukh to help with the growth of the clone. Lady Scheherazade had clarified that making clones was a feat technically any magician could do, as there was nothing special about the concepts used in the process. But given the effort, time, and amount of magoi needed, it was simply highly improbable for a normal magician to be able to create one.

"The clones use the blood and flesh of Lady Scheherazade as a base. They are then placed inside these incubators so that we can facilitate their growth," Lady Coelia explained. "You can imagine it as an embryo inside its mother's womb. The nutrients it will feed on will be our lady's magoi."

"How long does it usually take to grow?" Claudia asked.

"Since a clone generally lasts for a tenth of the time it is grown, if we want it to last a full year, we would need to pour magoi into it for around a decade, though the process can be sped up or slowed down by adjusting the amount of magoi poured as needed," Lady Coelia answered. "However, that only relates to its form. As I mentioned earlier, a clone can be compared to an infant—like human children, we must also let their minds mature by giving them knowledge."

Claudia's eyes shifted. "Knowledge?"

"You know that Lady Scheherazade can take control of a clone's body by extending to it her consciousness," the Vestalis Maxima said. "Before, they were simply empty shells with abilities that were only a meager copy of our lady's. However, the first Vestalis Maxima—the genius magician, Rhea Aurelia—was able to restructure and improve our lady's original method and it has allowed us to even create clones that can function on their own for a limited time. This one," Lady Coelia gestured to the lump inside the cocoon, "is intended to become one of those children—one with its own consciousness so that it can appropriately carry out its mission."

"Then . . . they won't become Lady Scheherazade?" Aquilia questioned.

The older woman glanced at the strawberry-blond girl. "In a way, no. They are their own individuals, but since they share our lady's rukh, they are deeply connected to her."

"What kind of missions are they sent out on?" Claudia asked.

"Usually the kind that would need a magician of high caliber sent to someplace far away—risky ventures that the lady cannot entrust to simply anyone," Lady Coelia replied.

"You Vestales are my most prized children," Lady Scheherazade spoke up as she neared them, the decorations on her staff tinkling with every step she took. The three Vestales fell into deep bows at her arrival. "But that is also why you can all do the empire more good if you serve it for as long as possible. Rest assured, I will never put your safety in jeopardy."

"Good evening, my lady," Lady Coelia greeted.

Lady Scheherazade nodded at her in acknowledgement. She stepped towards the cocoon, placing a hand near the opening.

"Aquilia, come and help me close it," she said, and the strawberry-blond girl immediately stepped forward, though she was unsure with what to do.

The Magi addressed her apprentice, "Aquilia, as you are also a Purple Magician, you are being groomed to take over Coelia's duties. You have been taught the formula for how to weave the shells, correct? I will start the closing, and I leave it to you to complete it. Are you prepared?"

"Ehh!? I mean, y-yes!" Aquilia stood by their mistress as the latter began to perform the spell, the rukh clamoring around her and giving her power.

Even as a non-magician, Claudia could clearly sense the difference whenever Lady Scheherazade used magic, especially when inside the atrium. The air reverberated with power and the rukh—usually unseen to her—would gather and be visible as white lights in the form of small birds.

This was the divine guidance that made Reim into one of the most powerful empires of the era.

The rukh flew about as the spell went underway, and Claudia wondered if maybe the rukh were whispering something to her. She followed them with her eyes as they fluttered their wings against her skin and hovered above her head, though she couldn't really feel anything.

Aquilia had always commented that she was constantly surrounded by a bright orange glow, and they further deduced this as her being favored by the third type of rukh, which governed the field of light magic. The idea was similar to Lady Coelia being supposedly always surrounded by a faint purple light as a Purple Magician. They figured that if Claudia had been born a magician, she would have been an Orange one.

The blonde girl stepped back as the three magicians focused on the task at hand. Lady Scheherazade had already passed the management of the spell on to Aquilia, who held the flower gem tip of her wand over the hole in the cocoon, a fierce look of concentration overcoming her usually soft eyes. Claudia could see the thin threads twisting around each other, sewing shut the shell that was to protect their lady's clone. Lady Coelia hovered behind her, uttering instructions.

Claudia took lessons together with Aquilia, so she somewhat understood the fundamentals of the magicians' orders of formula. Their theories were fascinating to think about, and she often contemplated on the endless miracles they could create. Her concrete knowledge and practical experience, however, were lacking, and Aquilia often turned down her ideas for new spells on the basis of the utter complexity of the formulae and the amount of magoi they would require.

A few moments later, Aquilia gave a surprised cry and jumped back as Lady Coelia hastily placed the tip her staff on the surface of the shell. Claudia caught her fellow ministra by the shoulders, and they fell to their knees on the ground.

"I made a mistake in the formula," Aquilia muttered pathetically, her entire body quivering as she buried her face in her hands.

Claudia consolingly patted her back as Lady Scheherazade told her, "It is fine—you did very well for your first time. Have confidence, Aquilia."

"B-B-B-But—!"

"You did a fine job from just being taught the theory," Lady Coelia stated. "Normally, you should have been able to get some practice before actually attempting it on a real clone, but it might be a while until we make one again, so I asked Lady Scheherazade to let you try now. Since I am to leave her service soon, I wanted to be able to guide you as much as I could before that."

"B-But . . . " Aquilia frowned. "What about that child—the clone?"

"A slight deformity is no problem," Lady Coelia dismissed easily.

"_D-D-D-D-Deformity!?_"

Aquilia's eyes spun and she seemed to have lost all her strength. She slumped back against a surprised Claudia, who supported her so she wouldn't fall to the floor.

"Uhh . . . " A slightly troubled crease appeared between the Vestalis Maxima's brows and she gave a soft sigh. "It does not matter, and it can be adjusted and repaired along the growth process. We will resume this lesson at a later date, so you two can rest for the night. Claudia, make sure Aquilia gets to bed."

The blonde girl received another pointed a look and she grimaced slightly, urging her fellow ministra to stand up. They were excused, and Claudia led Aquilia out of the atrium. Just before they were completely gone, Lady Scheherazade called out to her.

"Claudia, has Muu told you yet?"

Stopping, she looked over her shoulder curiously. "Um, may I ask about what?"

Lady Scheherazade gave her a long look before averting her gaze with a sigh.

"It is nothing. It would be best if you hurry and get Aquilia to rest. Good night."

* * *

The House of the Vestales was a magnificent building composed almost entirely of sparkling marble. It was part of a larger complex that consisted of many other buildings under the High Priestess's authority. Located at the heart of the capital, Lady Scheherazade had resided here with her Vestales for over a hundred years, ever since the college was assembled. The main structure, the Temple of the Sacerdos Maxima, had even been designed by an architect of renown who was personally commissioned by one of the previous emperors.

It was undoubtedly a grand place, and Claudia had loved it ever since she first laid eyes on it. Lady Scheherazade thought it too much for merely seven residents, but Claudia adored it, despite all the grumbling she did about its size when it was time to clean. She came from a wealthy family of merchants near the southern borders of the empire, and her previous residence was in no way inferior, but there was a certain mystery held by the House of the Vestales—it had history and power that a simple family home did not.

Claudia had known that this place housed secrets beyond her imagination from the very beginning, and she had not been mistaken.

Every crack in the otherwise flawless stone floor had a history, and the images portrayed on the frescoes that decorated the walls each told its own story. There were plenty of juicy secrets hidden in plain sight, and they would have otherwise gone overlooked if it weren't for her. Lady Scheherazade had lived here for so long that the place held no more allure for her, and most of the other Vestales who had passed through these halls were too absorbed with their magical studies that they didn't even bother to learn about their own homes.

She traversed the corridors silently, followed by her still-distraught fellow Vestalis as they headed back to their quarters.

Aquilia was a brilliant girl, able to absorb information like a dry sponge. She spent most of her time in the librarium, carefully going through the entire collection, obviously planning on reading through everything before she had to leave her position. Still, she was a diligent and studious girl, so Lady Scheherazade and the older Vestales generally left her to her own devices.

Like Lady Coelia, her affinity lay with the eighth type of rukh, and she was already quite proficient with those kinds of spells, though she was unskilled at using the other types and with Composite Magic, which combined more than two different types of magic. She also only had an average amount of magoi for a magician, and had once even mentioned that Claudia's own reserves were more than twice her own.

Claudia gave a sigh, "How long are you going to mope?"

"You don't understand!" Aquilia sniffled. "You're not a magician, so these kinds of expectations won't be directed at you!"

The blonde huffed, turning her head to the side. It was true that while she did sit in on Aquilia's magic lessons, as she wasn't a magician, she would never be expected to actually _perform_ magic. For now, their classes were mostly theory-based and there were only slight differences in the education they received. But when time came for Aquilia to practice her magic, Claudia was usually sent away to do something more productive by Lady Caecilia, their magic instructor.

She enjoyed watching fights in the Colosseum, so she had used the excuse of studying the fighting beasts to get permission to visit the arena more. Lady Scheherazade was unenthusiastic about her project, but agreed nonetheless. With the authority of her lady and her status as a Vestalis, she had no problem going in and out of the arena as she pleased.

Recently, she was also allowed to train in swordsmanship under the guidance of Lord Gaius Quintus, a retired general and an old acquaintance of her grandfather's. If Claudia hadn't been chosen to enter the College of Vestales, she would have been sent to the capital to be educated as his ward. He was a surprisingly kindly old man who had a tendency to spoil her with good food, but he was extremely strict when teaching her the art of warfare. He wanted to eventually let her fight in the coliseum when she had trained enough, though she didn't keep her hopes up because she knew that Lady Scheherazade would never allow it.

"Speaking of expectations," Claudia started, "I still don't really understand what's expected from _me_."

Aquilia froze for a moment before giving her companion a sidelong glance. Those chosen to enter the College of Vestales were usually young magician girls who the lady saw as having great potential and had taken in as her apprentices. They were to be educated and trained to use their abilities for the empire as scholars, doctors, and the like. Her selection of non-magicians into the college was a rare occurrence, and Claudia was only the third such case. Immediately before her was Lady Tuccia, who had been sent to the first dungeon but had never come back. And more than a century before Lady Tuccia was the first non-magician chosen to become a Vestalis—Lady Drusilla, who had eventually married into the Imperial Family and had acted as empress regent while her husband was away from the capital for war.

In the first place, Claudia was not a regular Vestalis. Even though she officially held the position of one, she did not follow their usual path—she trained in swordsmanship, and was allowed frequent trips to the Colosseum to watch fights. Lady Scheherazade regarded that place as a darkness within Reim, and while she was not fond of the cruelty it nurtured within the people, she considered it a necessary evil for the country's growth. These were troubled times, and Reim could not afford to be peaceful country without military knowledge.

However, she generally steered her direct apprentices away from such matters, not encouraging them to harbor interest towards such sport.

With Lord Ignatius Alexius conquering a dungeon raised by the lady not long ago, Aquilia could not help but suspect. Sometime after the first dungeon had disappeared and before Claudia entered their college, Lady Scheherazade had raised another dungeon in the forests just outside of the capital, and it still stood there, unconquered and heavily guarded until she chose someone to enter it.

Aquilia stared, watching the brilliantly orange rukh that swarmed around her blonde companion, bright lights that formed something like a halo shining around her head.

"Claudia," she called out, "don't you think Lady Scheherazade is raising you to conquer a dungeon?"

The other girl pursed her lips, crossing her arms and tilting her head to the side. "Dungeon diving, huh . . . ? The power of kings, huh . . . ?"

Aquilia paused, eyes widening the slightest. "What's with that dubious reaction?"

"I don't particularly want to be some sort of leader . . . ?" Claudia pouted. "And it sounds like a lot of work to achieve . . ."

" . . . Are you really rejecting such great power because you're too lazy to go get it?"

"I didn't mean it like that!" Claudia defended, a bit of a panicked edge to her voice. "Dungeon diving sounds fun, and I'd love to try if given the chance! But . . . aren't there other people more suited for things such as a 'great destiny' or something?"

Aquilia furrowed her brows in confusion. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Uurrgghh . . . " Claudia stopped walking, placing a finger on her temple and tapping a foot on the floor. "Like, like—_argh_, I don't know! It's just being some kind of monarch and having people bow at your feet and suck up to you sounds really boring! It's not interesting at all!"

" . . . I don't get what kind of standard you're basing things on."

Claudia huffed, blowing away a lock of hair. "You read a lot, right? Isn't it really interesting to read about other people's adventures?"

"If they really caught your interest, wouldn't you want to live out those adventures yourself?" Aquilia asked.

"But everything is much more interesting when other people do it!" Claudia pressed. "Like, if you do it yourself, it loses its charm, you know? Because if you're the one responsible for the things that happen, it becomes part of you like some sort of duty, people start expecting things, and then it wouldn't be fun anymore!"

"So basically," Aquilia started, "you're pushing the burden onto someone else so you can continue fooling around as you like without worries?"

Claudia's shoulders slumped. "It sounded good in my head, but you've turned it into something really bad."

"Everyone carries some sort of responsibility," Aquilia said. "Even you have your responsibilities as a Vestalis. You have your responsibilities as a daughter to your parents, as a citizen of Reim. You have your responsibilities as _Claudia Cornelia_. Responsibilities are like the bonds we form with other people—they define who we are. If you throw them away, it's like you're cutting yourself off from everything. If you're just an observer who doesn't do anything, then it's like you're not even part of the world."

"I'm not saying that I'm throwing away my responsibilities," Claudia exclaimed in a frustrated manner. "It's just that things you _could_ have—_should_ have—_did_ enjoy—they won't be as fun anymore when people nag you to deliver certain results."

"Then just don't mind what others say," Aquilia replied. "If you truly enjoy it, then it shouldn't matter what unrelated people think about it, right?"

Claudia pouted, her lower lip quivering. "That's easy for you to say. You're the type who completely loses awareness of everything else when concentrating after all."

"You're just too easily swayed," Aquilia pointed out. "You're too fickle and whimsical."

"I don't want to hear that from someone who was just crying about making a mistake just a while ago," Claudia deadpanned.

"I—" Aquilia flushed red, biting her lip. "That was—!"

"What are you two doing screaming in the hallway?"

The two young girls flinched at the sharp voice. Lady Caecilia, the second eldest in their college and most likely to become the next Vestalis Maxima, sauntered towards the two of them, an unamused look in her eyes and her lips pressed together in a thin grimace.

"O-Oh, it's nothing," Claudia muttered. "We were just heading back to our rooms . . . "

The magistra maior gave them a narrowed gaze. "Well, hurry along then. You came from the atrium, correct? Do not forget to wash up before going to bed."

The two girls bowed slightly. "Good night, Lady Caecilia."

After disappearing around a turn, Claudia and Aquilia shared a look, sighing as they returned to their rooms without another word to each other.


	3. The Rising Waves

**Edit:** 18 Jul 15

* * *

_Chapter Three_ | **The Rising Waves**

Claudia was a hard one to sniff out since she had this scent that was easily covered by the places she'd been to. He could always tell if she'd been to the librarium, or the Colosseum, or simply milling about the streets; but it was a hard task actually finding her, especially when she kept walking around the capital when she first came here, making Lady Scheherazade worry about her getting lost or into trouble. Even for a half-Fanalis like him, tracking her down was quite the difficult mission.

But it got easier later on. Ever since she began spending time in the coliseum's underground to "study" the fighting beasts, he learned to simply track down the scent of Maurenian wildlife that was outside the arena and he would find her.

Muu stretched his neck a bit to peek behind one of the shelves. Lady Viola, one of the magistra, spotted him and, with an amused quirk of her lips, raised a questioning brow. He quickly waved a hand in front of his face, straining a smile and silently asking her to not give him away. Claudia was sitting at one of the tables with her back turned to his direction, glaring at a stone tablet in front of her.

Her mother was a well-learned noblewoman—a general's daughter, distantly related to the Imperial Family through marriage. Claudia had started her education early, and she practically learned the Torran language alongside the common tongue, resulting in her being highly proficient in it, even when compared to the older scholars from the capital.

But she hated the grunt work that was translating texts she had no interest in, which was what Lady Viola usually had her do since she could teach her nothing else about the language.

"Lady Viola, is something the matter?"

The older woman's shoulders jumped up a bit and Muu stiffened, quickly ducking behind the shelf. The dark-haired magistra quickly directed her attention to the younger girl, laughing and dismissively waving a hand around.

"Oh, haha! No, it's nothing, really!" the older Vestalis said hurriedly.

Claudia's brows furrowed in suspicion, watching as the older woman's violet eyes shifted. Turning her head, she glanced around the area of the librarium they were in, not really finding anything out of place.

"In any case, how far along are you with that text?"

The younger girl immediately grimaced, shoulders slumping to a slouch. Her eyes glossed over the all the words, not really registering anything anymore.

" . . . It's . . . going . . . "

Lady Viola gave a weak chuckle. "Well, why don't we stop here for today? It's almost noon, so you can go get an early lunch if you want."

Claudia smiled brightly. "Okay! Would you like me to get you anything, Lady Viola?"

"What? Oh, no need. I'll get something later when I'm hungry," the magistra said. She raised both of her hands, practically shooing her away. "You have fun now."

Claudia blinked, the corner of her lip slanting down into a half frown as she had the idle thought that the older woman was suddenly desperately trying to get rid of her.

"Oh-_kaaay_ . . . " Claudia stood from her seat, moving to clean up her work area, but Lady Viola reached over the table, placing a soft hand on hers.

"Just leave it there," she said. "I have to check on it later anyway. You can go along now."

At this, Claudia gave her a steady, deadpan stare. Lady Viola smiled weakly, demurely tucking a loose lock of hair behind her ear as she averted her eyes.

Finally, the older woman gave a sigh. " . . . I saw Lord Vernus passing through, alright? So I kind of need you to not be a distraction while I go assist him . . . "

Claudia's eyes widened in understanding, but then quickly narrowed as she gave a sly smile. "_Oooooh!_ Okay, okay. I understand. I'll be going now~"

Grinning, the blonde girl turned on her heel before traipsing out of the librarium with an obvious giddiness to her step.

She skipped across the plaza to head back to the House of the Vestales, walking around the large fountain whose centerpiece was the likeness of a former general favored by the lady. It was sculpted in honor of a past death anniversary, commissioned by his family, and given as a gift to the High Priestess as a show of gratitude for her dedication to the Empire.

As always, when passing by his statue, Claudia slowed and stared at the noble expression he wore. Lady Scheherazade had wistfully mused to her once before how unsuited to him it was, but still, Claudia could not help but respect his figure—steadfast and proud, completely unlike, and yet uncomfortably like, a certain descendant of his.

And as always, her opinion on the statue and the man it portrayed was undecided.

"Heeeh, you're looking at my ancestor with such an intense gaze," a voice commented, and Claudia gave a slight shriek of surprise, spinning on her heel. "I have to say it's not a very pleasant expression though . . . "

"Muu Alexius!" she shouted, her voice dripping with hatred as her hand reached toward her waist—only to remember that she didn't have her weapon. "Ugh . . . "

A slight smile appeared on Muu's face and he regarded her curiously with a slight tilt of the head. "Has Lady Scheherazade told you of their more . . . ah, _interesting_ escapades?"

Claudia's eyes shifted. "Escapades?"

Muu blinked, averting his gaze for a moment and scratching the back of his head.

"Oh? I thought for sure she told you one of the more embarrassing ones since you were looking at him like that," he mused. Smiling lightly, he stepped forward and she immediately took a step back, shoulders exaggeratedly following the movement. Shaking his head slightly, he headed toward the fountain edge, sitting down on it. He tapped the space beside him, beckoning her.

She gave him a wary glance, her brows furrowed as she bit her lip. She crossed her arms over her chest in an almost defensive manner, but he could see how easily her resolve wavered in her eyes. Finally, she edged toward him slowly, sitting down on a space around five feet away.

Heaving a sigh, he leant forward, placing an elbow on his knee and cradling his cheek in his palm.

"How do you expect to listen to my story from so far away?"

"Hmph." Her lower lip jutted out into a slight pout as she sent him a flat stare. After a few seconds of staring, a slight pink dusted her cheeks and she harrumphed, sliding across the marble edge of the fountain to sit right next to him.

He gave her a pleased smile, straightening his back and giving her a pat on the head. She frantically waved his hand away, sliding away to a distance just slightly out of his reach.

"And?" Her hands fiddled fussily with her coronet, fixing its position on her head. "What happened?"

Muu was silent for a moment, staring off with a thoughtful gaze. "Let's see. There was this time they got chased around by a Maurenian lion."

"Maurenian lion?" she repeated, an excited look on her face. But then she paused, blinking, and her expression turned confused. " . . . Lady Scheherazade?"

Muu chuckled lightly, remembering his own reaction after the lady had told him that story. "They were part of a team who had gone to capture wild animals for the Colosseum. My ancestor, Pernadius Alexius, stumbled upon a group that had been in the middle of hunting and one of them gave chase to him. Lady Scheherazade got dragged in and they had quite some trouble trying to shake it off."

"Hmm . . . " Claudia tilted her head, brows furrowed as she struggled to process the information she had been given. "Lady Scheherazade chased around by a Maurenian lion . . . "

Her beautiful, calm, austere, gentle, elegant, and dignified lady—High Priestess of Reim, legendary Magi . . . chased around by Maurenian lion . . . ?

"Ehhhhh . . . ?"

"It's true," Muu insisted. "I heard it from Lady Scheherazade herself. And apparently, Pernadius also got assaulted by a horde of Maurenian rabbits and courted by a Maurenian baboon!"

"Assaulted by rabbits . . . and courted by a baboon . . . " Claudia repeated tonelessly.

"Maurenian ones," he pointed out, just to remind her. She met his gaze evenly and he saw the color of her eyes shift in the sunlight, like blue-green waves lapping against the shore.

Muu paused, blinking.

" . . . I don't like that look you're giving me," he stated flatly.

She quickly shuffled, plopping herself to sit right beside him. Their arms grazed each other with a feather-light touch and she looked up at him with a serious gaze.

"Remember that new fighting beast they put in last time?" she asked. "The one I went to look at yesterday?"

He gave her a steady look, brows furrowing the slightest as her eyes practically shimmered.

" . . . You're going to say something stupid, aren't you?"

"It's a female Maurenian baboon!" she blurted out, a wide grin stretching across her face. "If you're interested, I can definitely—"

"No." He interrupted her by splashing her with some water from the fountain. She hissed like a cat, jumping up and stepping away from him with all the nimbleness of one. She bunched up the cloth of her blue sash, frantically wiping her arm.

While Claudia came from a port city and had a taste for shellfish, the water itself held not a shred of her love, and she detested getting needlessly wet. The only times she willingly agreed to make contact with water were when she drank it and when she needed to bathe. She even turned down swimming lessons simply because she didn't want to get wet.

"Claudia," he called out.

She gave him a fierce glare as she continued wiping down her (already dry) arm, muttering curses under her breath. "What?" she snapped.

"I'm going into a dungeon."

Claudia froze, still as a statue as she took in his words. She looked up, staring into the neutral expression on his face.

"Lady Scheherazade invited me into Barbatos," he said slowly. "The preparations have been made. I'm entering it in three days."

She dropped her hold on her sash, and turned up her chin.

"And?"

Muu blinked, somewhat wary. He'd even been on edge about her reaction, stalling for quite a while so he could fully prepare for her harangue—she would definitely tell him that he wasn't skilled enough, that he didn't nearly have enough magoi to support a djinn because he was half-Fanalis, that the djinn might not consider him worthy, that he could _die_ inside the dungeon. He finally came up with the nerve to approach her yesterday, and even then, he couldn't find the right time to break the news.

"Just . . . thought you should know," he said with a small shrug. "Lady Scheherazade said that time within a dungeon moves differently . . . though you probably already know that," he muttered the last part, remembering how the lady had explained dungeons to them when Lord Ignatius entered one. "So, uhh, anyway, I might not be back in time for your birthday."

_If he would be back_, was what lingered between them, unsaid.

A silence lapsed over the two of them, neither uttering a word. But then Claudia tilted her head, a crease forming between her brows.

"Why are you so worried? Lady Scheherazade will guide you, so it doesn't really matter how weak you are—she'll definitely get you through it."

Muu strained a smile. "I . . . don't want to trouble her too much. I don't want to disappoint her; I don't want to fail her expectations."

Claudia crossed her arms, throwing him a flat stare before exhaling with a heavy sigh. "You're thinking too much. In the first place, she wouldn't have invited you inside if she wasn't confident that she could bring about a miracle. You're not skilled enough, and you don't nearly have enough magoi to support a djinn since you're half-Fanalis. No djinn in their right mind would consider you worthy of being a king vessel. You'll probably die after taking one step inside, but everything will be fine if you just follow Lady Scheherazade like you've always done. You're at least not so hopeless that you can't do even _that_ much."

Muu looked at the younger girl in front of him, the expression on her face clearly shouting, _"Are you thick? How dumb can you be? Stupid Muu, idiot Muu. Just go bald, you girly-haired bastard."_

In that moment, it seemed as if all the tenseness in his muscles had suddenly been washed away. He brought a hand to his mouth to cover up the smile he could feel forming on his face, trying to muffle the peal of laughter escaping him.

"Wha—?" Claudia looked on, shoulders stiffening as a dark blush dusted across her face. She stomped a foot onto the ground, harshly demanding, "Why are you laughing at me!?"

"Ah, no, sorry," Muu said, wiping stray tear from the corner of his eye. "I wasn't laughing at _you_—I was laughing at myself. You're right; I'm worrying too much. Lady Scheherazade believes in me; I just need to believe in her."

Claudia held her arms akimbo, smirking smugly and turning up her chin. "Of course I'm right."

And of course that's what she focused on. Shaking his head slightly, Muu stood up, taking in a deep breath and exhaling. He walked over to Claudia with wide steps, reaching out a hand and patting her on the head.

She bristled, slapping away his hand.

"Thank you, Claudia," he told her, smiling brightly.

She paused in the middle of fixing her coronet, glancing up at him and arching a brow.

He just kept the smile on his face, bringing up his hands to help her adjust the position of her coronet on her head.

When he was done, he stepped back a bit to admire the faint pink dusting her cheeks and her flat stare. She harrumphed, sharply spinning on her heel. Her hair followed her movement, whirling around her like a golden tornado.

"Whatever. Anyway, if you don't make it back in time for my birthday, I expect the shiniest, most beautiful, most precious treasure inside as a gift."

She stomped away from him without another glance, heading straight for the entrance to the House of the Vestales. Before she completely disappeared inside it though, he called out to her one last time, "Should I be worried that you said 'shiniest' first?"

"Leave it alone!"

* * *

The blonde girl sat on a table in the kitchens of the House of the Vestales, stuffing her face full with the food that was laid out in front of her. Even when she ate so fast she practically swallowed without chewing, she managed to skillfully avoid all the vegetables, even the ones mixed into the meat dishes.

"You're going to get indigestion," Aquilia stated blandly as she speared a baby carrot with her fork, swirling it a bit in the sauce before popping it inside her mouth. "And eat your vegetables; you're not going to get any taller if you don't."

Claudia steadfastly ignored her, her complete attention seized by the food.

"So Lord Muu will be going into Barbatos, huh?" the strawberry-blonde girl mused. "At least that explains why we made another clone so suddenly. A lot of things are starting to move, huh?"

Aquilia pouted a bit as the blonde girl continued ignoring her. Setting down her utensils, she reached over for her cup of water, taking small sips as Claudia continued her stress-eating.

She watched the rukh buzz around them, harried and agitated. Strangely though, the negativity they exuded was not the worried kind, but almost the jealous kind.

"Hmph."

Despite everything she said yesterday, it seemed as if Claudia really _did_ want to enter a dungeon. She could flounder around pretending to chase after Lord Muu as much as she wanted, but Aquilia knew that what truly captured her heart were bloody and gruesome death matches—a trait she shared with many of the people of the capital. In the first place, it was quite obvious to anyone who knew Claudia that she only liked Lord Muu because of his inhuman strength as a half-Fanalis.

The story of how those two met only further verified that thought.

"_Nnnguuuh!_"

"What?" Aquilia's brows furrowed at the face Claudia made.

" . . . _bitter—gourd_ . . . " the blonde girl rasped out like some dying animal, her hand shooting right past her cup of water and straight towards the apple compote that was their dessert.

Aquilia sighed, rolling her eyes.

Claudia grabbed hold of the shallow bowl, lifting its edges to her mouth, pieces of the compote falling into her mouth. Frowning slightly at the crass gesture, Aquilia wordlessly rose from her seat, her arm stretching out to pat the back of the blonde girl who had started choking.

"Just slow down," Aquilia scolded. "You won't catch up to anyone by hurrying like this."

Claudia's coughing eased, though her hands remained cupped over her mouth and nose. Her seafoam eyes were wide, and she turned her head to dolefully stare at the other magistra, small tears prickling at the corner of her eyes.

Offering an encouraging smile, Aquilia gave her another pat on the back. "You don't have to be so jealous of Lord Muu. I'm sure Lady Scheherazade will choose you to become a dungeon capturer eventually."

Claudia gave her a long stare and Aquilia faltered at the oddly thoughtful gaze being sent her way.

" . . . w-what?"

"Jealous of . . . Muu . . . " the blonde mumbled, her eyes half-lidded. "Chosen by . . . Lady Scheherazade . . . "

"Don't you think you have that backwards?"

The two twelve-year olds turned their heads to the entrance of the kitchen, where the magistra, Lady Sofia, was coming from. Aquilia pursed her lips and Claudia openly glared. The brunette magistra simply gave them an impassive stare as she settled herself on a chair at the other end of the table, loading a plate with food.

Sofia Alexandria was the greatest magical prodigy in the empire, and even Lady Scheherazade attested that her talent was on par with her ancestor, Rhea Aurelia's. Aquilia respected her greatly, but the older girl had been particularly hard to approach ever since the death of her older sister, Tuccia, who Claudia had replaced. The animosity between these two always filled the air uncomfortably whenever they were within range of each other and neither Lady Scheherazade nor Lady Caecilia was present.

"I'm going to the Master's for the rest of the afternoon!" Claudia declared loudly, shooting up from her seat. Throwing one last dirty glare at the older Vestalis, she noisily made her way out of the kitchen, leaving Aquilia alone in the kitchen with the poker-faced brunette.

"Do you honestly think that that's the case?" Lady Sofia asked, staring at her unblinkingly.

Aquilia stiffened at the sudden address. "Excuse me . . . ?"

The brunette sighed, throwing her long braid over her shoulder and starting to eat.

"You look like a nice girl, but you're actually pretty twisted yourself," Sofia commented blithely. "And to be completely honest, I can't even tell which one of you is worse at this point."


	4. The Brewing Storm

**Edit:** 18 Jul 15

* * *

_Chapter Four_ | **The Brewing Storm**

Claudia sat on the edge of her seat, shoulders hunched and her chin resting atop her arms, which were folded over the top of the balustrade. She gazed lazily at the fight below—a Maurenian sabertooth tiger against a sword slave owned by one of the senators. Her position from the balcony at the head of the Colosseum—usually reserved for important figures and granted to her due to her position as a Vestalis—allowed her an unhindered view of the arena.

"Ah, see there." An elderly man hovered over her shoulder, dressed in a toga of rich navy blue lined with gold. He was Lord Gaius Quintus, her mentor in swordsmanship and warfare, a retired general, and a good friend of her grandfather. "He's making full use of the spear as a mid-range weapon. As you know, the fangs and claws of a Maurenian sabertooth tiger possess a deadly poison, and the slightest scratch can kill a fully grown man."

"He's not exactly winning," Claudia pointed out. The slave was doing a good job of avoiding getting hurt, but he was nowhere near being able to deal a damaging blow to his opponent either. The fighting beast was practically toying with him, languid and predatory in its movements, walking around him in a circle. The lack of action was making the crowd bored, and they were already rising up in frenzy, demanding blood. "Nothing's going to happen if he just stands there."

"But he's handling himself well; he's still calm and composed. He might just be able to find a path to victory," the retired general said. "Before the fiercest storms is a calm, wherein the winds brew over open water and collect strength. Stillness does not equate to weakness. Standing still while others move forward will allow you to watch and learn from their mistakes, and you'll be able to get ahead of them in one huge step. That is why they say that the wise learn from history, but only fools learn from experience."

Claudia simply let out a small grunt, mostly uninterested in the fight. The Maurenian sabertooth tiger was one of properties of the coliseum, already used to the crowds. It was a bit of an angry fellow, and they had to keep it bound with chains even when inside its cage in the underground. Its handful of victories was mostly due to the fact that the fighters that went against it either didn't know its fangs were poisonous, or were stupid enough to get scratched by them while trying to get close enough to put in a hit.

The sword slave seemed to know about his opponent's poisonous fangs and was doing a good job staying alive so far—the spear was definitely a good choice for this fight. She admitted that he kind of piqued her interest, but these days, her thoughts were always drifting.

It had been a month since Lady Scheherazade had led Muu into Barbatos. When she had led Lord Ignatius in, they'd been inside the dungeon for only two weeks. Still, she was not worried at all, knowing that Muu would be able to conquer the dungeon no matter what, and it was only a matter of time.

He had the lady by his side after all, and he would never fail her.

"Ah—" Claudia raised her head, attention caught, and her eyes focused completely on the battle below.

The slave had suddenly made his move, piercing the roof of the tiger's mouth with his spear. The metal tip went right through its muzzle, and the crowd cheered wildly, their screams ringing in her ears as he pulled back his weapon. Blood gushed out from the wound and the tiger staggered, thrashing wildly. It roared, deep and rumbling, eyes flashing as it prepared to pounce. Its claws dug into the earth, shoulders lowering and haunches rising, tail flicking once, twice.

It leapt up with a fury, jaws wide open and clearly aiming for the slave's head. In one swift move, the man had ducked, blocking the swipe of its claws with his shield and pushing his spear through the airborne beast's throat.

The coliseum erupted into cheers, its very foundations shaking with the intensity of the applause. The slave pulled back his weapon, blood spewing across the dirt as he walked around the fallen animal, arms raised upwards and letting out a shout of victory.

"_Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill!_"

The sabertooth tiger was down, blood pooling around its throat, but it was still alive, a shallow breathing reflected by the slow and steady rise and fall of its shoulders.

"_Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill!_"

The chanting was endless. The slave faced one of the other balconies, eyes seeking out his owner, who was watching the fight. The senator raised a fist, thumb extended to the side. The crowd went wild, their chanting getting louder and louder until they practically exploded when the aged politician turned his wrist, pointing his thumb down. The slave bowed, the arm holding the spear sweeping out to the side.

Acquiescing to his owner's and the crowd's will, he walked towards the downed beast, changing his grip on his weapon so that the spearhead hovered over the tiger's skull. He raised his weapon high, and the screaming of the crowds intensified.

Claudia shot to her feet, toppling over the stool she sat on. At the very last moment, the fallen tiger had leapt up, sinking its claws into the slave's shoulders and biting his head clean off.

A sudden silence fell over all of the audience. The Maurenian sabertooth tiger spat out the slave's head and it rolled across the ground, staining it with a trail of blood. It let out one last ferocious, bloodcurdling roar before its legs gave in and its body sunk into the dirt, succumbing to the spear that had pierced its chest.

The crowd burst into cheers, louder than even a volcano's eruption. The Colosseum shook, and the guards in the arena went to clean up the corpses before starting the next fight.

Claudia brought up a hand to cover the proud grin stretching across her face.

"Good boy."

* * *

Shiraz was a city in the deserts of the eastern continent. It was built around a great lake, which was connected to the sea by one of the few rivers that wove around the vast expanse of sandy plains the continent was known for. Due to the steady water supply, it was able to flourish and establish itself as the cultural center of the Central Desert Plains. Its strategic location also made it into a stopover for caravans traveling from the extremities of the continent to the port city of Balbadd. It was known as a city full of poets and gardens, and the Dar Alelm, or the House of Knowledge, the largest library in the continent, was located within the grounds of its royal palace.

Most recently, its tourism had also boomed because of the dungeon that rose just outside the city's gates. With a few other oasis cities, the eastern edges of the Central Desert Plains were quickly becoming known as a region for adventurers, what with all the labyrinths popping up. It was even being called the Fertile Crescent, the dungeons' promises of gold and glory appealing to those who sought fame and fortune.

From the start, Shiraz was already a very rich and very prosperous city, and she knew that her grandfather had long worked to gain trade influence over it. Having his grandson and heir marry one of its princesses finally gave him the leverage he wanted.

"How on earth did Scipio manage to woo a Shirazi princess . . . ?" Claudia muttered as she stared at the piece of parchment in her hands in disbelief.

It was a letter of invitation to the upcoming wedding of the Shirazi princess, Abigail, and the heir to the Lavinium Trading Company, Scipio Cornelius.

"Your brother is an idiot, but he's a charming idiot who knows how to follow orders," Lord Gaius spoke as he took a sip of wine. "I heard your mother had a hand in their relationship."

Pouting, Claudia looked up from the letter. "How long had they been in Shiraz anyway?"

"Lucian wanted to send them away from the city as well, so Claudius thought they might as well make their vacation purposeful." He glanced at the contents of the letter in her hand once again. "The ceremony is in three weeks. If we leave within the next two days, we can make it with just some time to spare."

Lady Scheherazade still wasn't back from the dungeon, so she would have to seek permission from Lady Coelia. Claudia excused herself from her master's presence with a curtsy, making her way back to the House of the Vestales.

This news of her brother's upcoming nuptials came as somewhat of a shock, mainly because she had not heard much from her family ever since she arrived at the capital. Induction into the College of Vestales meant becoming a daughter of the state—legally, blood ties were severed and the Vestalis was to devote herself to the empire. However, connections with their families were still maintained although it was no longer set on paper.

Still, Claudia's entrance into the College left her brother, who was to inherit the company, with no legal successor.

With the unstable conditions in the south because of the post-war tensions, commerce began to concentrate heavily in Napolia, weakening the status of their home province of Lavinium as an economic center. If the situation continued as is, both the company and their family would eventually fall into ruin. They needed a way to revive the business in their ports, and an exotic trading partner like Shiraz had been what their grandfather set his eyes on.

Claudius Cornelius was an uncannily charismatic man who was known for his skill in negotiation and bartering, but his grandson somewhat of a romantic who frequently chased dreams and believed in such things as destiny and true love. With her brother being strong-willed and unafraid of their grandfather, Claudia still could not quite believe that he had allowed himself to be roped into a marriage of convenience. And Scipio _had_ always told her that he would marry _her_ when she grew up.

Suddenly realizing something, Claudia reread the letter.

The date of the ceremony was her birthday.

Claudia blithely felt some pity for this Princess Abigail of Shiraz.

Nevertheless, this plan was probably the most efficient one they could have gone with, as the princess ensured both the future of the company and their family. Reassessing the situation, Claudia could now see to what lengths her grandfather could have gone to forcefully make her brother agree.

Her shock eventually faded away once understanding dawned on her, and her mind began to wander to how she could possibly get access to the Dar Alelm from her soon-to-be technical sister-in-law, and how to convince Lady Scheherazade to let her travel to another continent when it came to it.

Oh, how Aquilia would scream once she found out.

Walking down the road, Claudia found a familiar figure browsing around a few stalls. The blonde called out to the red-haired girl, "Myron!"

The younger girl looked up from her idle inspection of a few wares, a small smile coming to her face.

"Ah, Sis . . . "

Claudia tilted her head in curiosity at the lack of life in her eyes. She approached Myron, setting a hand on the younger girl's head as she neared her.

"What's wrong?" the blonde asked. "You look glum."

There was a brief pause wherein Myron fiddled with her fingers. "They don't tell me much since they say I'm too young, but—I'm worried. Brother . . . still hasn't come back. The last time he was gone for this long . . . he changed a bit."

Slinging an arm over the younger girl's shoulders, Claudia steered her away from the wares stall and they walked down the street. Myron was usually a bubbly pit of energy, so seeing her in such low spirits was quite alarming. The girl really looked like she needed someone to talk to.

"When was the last time he was gone for this long?"

" . . . It was before we met Sis," Myron said. "He came back from this trip a bit before the time Sis became a Vestalis."

Ah. That.

Around the time Claudia came to the capital, Muu had just come back from a trip—she was told that he had gone to the Dark Continent to look for other Fanalis. She heard from the boy himself that he had even gone down the Great Rift and tried to cross it. He didn't continue his tale past that point, and she didn't push it even though she was quite interested in hearing what lay beyond the valley at the end of the world.

"How did he change?"

But still, if what Myron said was true, then the Muu she knew was the changed one. Admittedly, she was a bit curious as to how he was before.

Myron fidgeted. "It's not—_obvious_, but I think that Brother . . . found a goal. He's more," she waved a hand around, "serious. Determined. He has something he wants to do."

Indeed, the Muu that Claudia knew did seem like he was working towards something. She became acquainted with him mainly because he was always at the college to attend the advanced lectures. He had been particularly engrossed in studies about the southern realms and world history. He was also regularly present at the Colosseum, which she visited fairly often herself. But unlike her, his purpose wasn't to watch the fights—or participate in them, as he more commonly did before, apparently—but rather to converse with the nobles and officials that frequented it. Muu was charismatic and not as lacking in social graces as she initially thought he would be, but it was quite obvious to anyone who knew him that in a place like the Colosseum, chatting up Reim's upper class wouldn't normally be high on his priority list.

She wondered what kind of goal he was working towards. He carried such rapport with Lady Scheherazade that it seemed like she would gladly assist him with anything he wanted. It was hard thinking up of something that he couldn't achieve easily with her help.

What was so grand that he still needed to work so hard to achieve it, even with her lady's aid?

" . . . '_The power of kings_' . . . " she mumbled.

"What?"

Claudia airily waved a hand in front of her face. "No, it's nothing." Redirecting the younger girl's attention, she pointed at a shop filled with customers. "Oh, look. It seems that they have some new stock from Imuchakk. Why don't we check it out?"

Myron made a face. " . . . Are you going to make me eat something weird again?"

"The pickled eel ovaries weren't that bad," Claudia pouted. "Just ignore what they're used for when they're still in a live body. What tastes good tastes good. Even Lady Scheherazade said it was nice and easy to chew."

"Ehhh . . . "

"You like their candied fruits, right? I'll treat you to some," Claudia said.

Myron agreed with only a slight pout.

The two girls entered the bustling shop, and Myron eagerly squeezed through the crowd of children picking out candies made from the fruits of the northern countries. The store was a branch of an associate group of the fairly new Sindria Trading Company, which had a monopoly on the trading of goods from Imuchakk.

The Sindria Trading Company only had a storefront in Napolia, but they'd quickly expanded and made their name known by partnering themselves with other companies. Small, dedicated corners featuring Imuchakk goods could be found in several shops all throughout the empire.

"Sis really likes stuff from Imuchakk, huh?" Myron commented as they exited the shop with their purchases.

"Well, their merchandise is pretty interesting," Claudia said. "Imuchakk was almost completely isolated before the Sindria Trading Company popped up, so their items are all pretty rare and novel. And they have good taste in seafood."

"Oh, that reminds me," Myron piped up. "Brother was reading this story before he left—'_The Adventure of Sinbad_' or something. He said the author also owned the Sindria Trading Company? Was that why his books were displayed with the other stuff from Imuchakk back there?"

_"The wise learn from history, but only fools learn from experience."_

"Hm, that, huh?" Claudia mused. "Yeah, the famed dungeon conqueror went on to start a business. Kind of weird, if you ask me. I heard he even made performances at Napolia's amphitheater to promote the start-up of his company."

"Have you read it?" Myron asked.

"Yup. Aquilia recommended it to me a while ago," Claudia replied. "It was pretty interesting. I think there was supposed to be a sequel or something, but I haven't read it yet."

"Brother's not much of a reader, so it was really surprising to see him so focused reading something like that," Myron laughed.

"That 'Sinbad' is supposed to be really young. I heard he's only around Muu's age, so to have achieved so much already makes him pretty amazing," Claudia said. "Anyway, those kinds of wild adventures really appeal to guys. They're all, '_I want to be like that!_' and stuff. '_Adventure is a man's romance_,' or something like that. They all want to go off fighting dragons and other weird monsters."

" . . . Actually, that sounds pretty fun . . . " Myron muttered, biting her lower lip as she dolefully stared at the stone street.

" . . . Oh, right. You have fighting in your blood, too," Claudia sighed as she patted Myron on the head.

Myron looked curiously up at her. "But doesn't Sis go to the Colosseum to watch fights a lot?"

"Watching fights and being in one are two completely different things," Claudia defended. She blinked, pausing for a split second before continuing in a lower tone, "Besides, everything is much more interesting when other people do it."

Myron tilted her head. "If it's interesting, wouldn't you want to try it out for yourself?"

Claudia froze midstep.

Myron turned around to check why she had stopped. "Sis?"

"That's true. But most people aren't strong enough to simply go off on some grand adventure, so all they can do is watch those who are."

* * *

_A vicious-looking Maurenian gorilla stared silently at her, persistently biting down on a gauntlet-covered human arm. A number of bodies of defeated men lay around it, the stench of blood and dead flesh stinging her nose._

_Such a scene would have rendered any other ten-year old into a hopeless, panicking mess, but this particular child had already seen more than her fair share of dead bodies, so she was not so much stunned by fear as she was by surprise and confusion._

_Claudia tried to remember how she got into this situation. She had gone out to the town to explore, and her first stop was, of course, the capital's famed Colosseum. Unfortunately, there had been a huge and noisy crowd blocking the entrance, so she had wandered around the perimeter of the building until she found a side entrance that was unguarded and luckily left unlocked._

_The corridors had been dark, empty, and confusing, so she had decided to simply wander about until she reached the arena. Apparently, going down the stairs was not the right way to the stands._

_After a long period of eye contact, the gorilla finally gave up on the metal-encased arm, and it clanged against the stone floor. Its shoulders hunched, and it leant on the ground with its knuckles. As it made move to take a step forward, Claudia unconsciously took a step back._

_The gorilla paused at her movement. With a surprisingly calm heartbeat, she slid another foot back. The scratch of the sole of her sandal against the grimy floor caught the attention of the fighting beast, and it raised itself up, pounding its fists against its chest with a loud roar._

_Claudia spun sharply on her heel and bolted back down the corridors. The gorilla gave chase to her, screeching and howling. She took sharp and agile turns at various corners, not looking behind her. She could hear the gorilla crashing against the walls, so she knew that she was still being hunted._

_Her uncanny sense of spatial judgment easily brought her back to the flight of stairs she had descended. Taking two steps at a time, she stopped a jump away from the next floor, turning her gaze down the corridor she had passed. After a few deep breaths, the wild gorilla appeared at the intersection, its nose flaring as it spotted her. Once it had taken a step in her direction, she jumped the final few steps and ran forward._

_"Hey, kid! How the hell did you get in here!?" _

_A small group of what looked to be mercenary knights were rushing through the corridor, along with two other men in excessive golden armor, one of them looking extremely nervous and holding onto a large shield. _

_Claudia froze in her steps, mind temporarily blanking at the unexpected situation._

_"Behind you!"_

_Remembering what had been chasing after her, Claudia spun on her heel, hand wrapping around the hilt of her dagger to unsheathe it in a last ditch attempt at defending herself._

_From the top of the stairs, the gorilla leapt right at her with its jaws wide open in a snarl. She moved to duck and dodge, but it proved unneeded as the beast was slammed into the wall by a red and gold blur._

_"Ahhh! Sir Muu!" the nervous-looking man in golden armor called out from behind his shield._

_The gorilla let out an ear-splitting screech as it thrashed, making the wall crumble even more. It swung its arms around in a panicked manner, trying to escape from its attacker. Claudia backed up into the opposite wall next to a tall bronze brazier. Glancing up at the weak flame, she glanced down at its base._

_Tightening her grip around the hilt of her dagger, she wrapped her other hand around the pole that served as the brazier's stand and leant against the wall, pushing._

_The gorilla scrambled out of the hole, and the burning coals from the brazier fell onto its head. Screeching at the heat, it backed up, crashing once again against the wall._

_"Quickly! Subdue it!" the nervous-looking man in golden armor shouted. _

_The mercenary knights leapt into action, dragging along heavy chains and spears with them. They approached the lumbering gorilla with shackles and a collar while it fervently tried to shake off the hot coals. _

_The red-haired figure in golden armor that had slammed the gorilla practically through the stone wall came out from underneath the rubble._

_Claudia easily recognized his features. Her family had one in their service after all._

Fanalis.

_His feral gaze was trained onto the gorilla being restrained, carefully watching and ready to leap into action in case the situation got out of hand again. The mercenary knights had managed to bind it in chains and it was starting to stop struggling. _

_Claudia silently took a step away._

_"Hey, you."_

_Shoulders stiffening at the sharp address, she pursed her lips, looking over her shoulder. _

_Red eyes stared piercingly at her. _

_"You're Lady Scheherazade's new apprentice, right? You fit her description," he said, stalking towards her. "I was sent to look for you. Lady Viola said that you'd probably visit the coliseum, but how did you even get in here?"_

_" . . . there was a door unlocked," she mumbled. _

_Frowning, he turned his gaze to the nervous-looking man with the shield. "Manager, that's dangerous. And with one of the fighting beasts escaped from its cell, too."_

_"Ah—it seems we were too focused on the crowds. Most of the guards were at the main entrance," the jittery man replied. "No one except the workers use the side entrances anyway, so . . . "_

_"In any case," the Fanalis turned his glare back on her, "this is still trespassing. What on earth were you thinking? What would you have done if we hadn't been here to save you?"_

_Claudia paused, giving his question some consideration. The plan had been simply to run until she thought of something better. She figured she'd find a room to hide in or maybe reach the exit first. Impromptu hide-and-seek and tag sessions with her brother back home made her pretty good at stuff like that._

_He released a heavy sigh at her prolonged silence. Turning to glance at the mercenaries keeping a hold on the gorilla, he clapped a hand on her shoulder and started to steer her back down the corridor. _

_"Everything seems to be under control now, so I'll be taking this girl back to the Temple," the Fanalis told the man with the shield._

_"Ah, yes, of course," he said, nodding his head. "Thank you for helping—_Sir Muu!_"_

_As they passed by the gorilla, Claudia met its eyes, and in a flash, it plunged itself forward with a great roar. The men holding the chains were caught by surprise, and a few of them fell over after being dragged along by its force. _

_The gorilla's head reared at her, saliva splaying from its open mouth. A seizing fear turned her entire body immobile after seeing its sharp teeth coming straight at her, but her stiffness melted away easily when a stray piece of rubble bounced off her forehead._

_The Fanalis had bashed the gorilla's head straight into the floor._

_He had been fast enough to react to its sudden attack, but that very suddenness also gave him no time to think about his actions. The gorilla had not been able bear the brunt of his full strength, and it lay unmoving on the floor, its face planted into the shattered floor right in front of her, blood pooling around it._

_"Ah—" _

_The Fanalis took his hand away from the gorilla's head, taking hurried steps backwards with a very disturbed look on his face. Dust still floated in a haze around him, and a generous splattering of blood decorated his armor and face, but it practically melded into the color of his hair._

_"A-Are you alright, S-Sir M-M-Muu . . . ?" the manager questioned nervously._

_It took a moment for him to reply. "Y-Yes. Manager, I'm very sorry—"_

_"_Aah-_ah_._" Claudia brought a hand up to her face, wiping her thumb along her cheek and smearing a bit of red across it. She turned to meet his wide, dark gaze. "You went and killed it."_


	5. The Stilled Waters

_**[Dr. Frankenstein Voice]:** It's aliiiiiiiiiive._

I won't clutter this A/N. My excuses, ramblings, and a bigger version of the snazzy new cover photo in celebration of the new arc is on my Livejournal, [ yuuyacchi . livejournal . com], since apparently FF profile links are being screwy again.

General Update: In light of some revelations in the manga, there was some rewriting that needed to be done in my story notes. Hence, there have also been some slight changes made to the previous chapters. LOL, I haven't updated in over half a year, so a quick run-through the old chaps might be advisable. I didn't change anything major, so it's still perfectly fine if you don't go back, but there have been a few rewrites/additions/deletions to take note of.

Regarding a review posted by _Mitsuyuki-Hime _on C04: Animals in general perceive eye contact as aggression, as they feel like they're being sized up as prey. Even in humans, prolonged eye contact usually incites a negative reaction. It's why animal trainers emphasize looking into the animals' eyes to establish dominance. Reactions will vary depending on species, individual, and situation, but with the gorilla, what I wanted to portray was Claudia being stubborn and arrogant, looking down at it when it was tied down, wanting to get the last word in. Her action only served to agitate it even further, considering they were the ones having a chase just earlier, and that's why the gorilla attacked her after she glanced at it. It wasn't because she had some kind of power or anything, though I can see how the situation could be interpreted as such. Sorry for the confusion! ^^;;

* * *

_Chapter Five_ | **The Stilled Waters**

"Ah, Lady Claudia!"

The man in front of her was swathed in ornately patterned blue robes, with dark hair and equally dark eyes. He had a tall and lean figure, his right hand clamped over his left fist—which held a golden staff—as he gave her a rigid bow.

"I am a scholar from Kou currently serving as Her Highness, the Princess Abigail's tutor. You may address me as Rou." He straightened himself up, a warm smile on his face. "I am honored to meet such a personage. Your brother has regaled the Princess and me with many stories from your childhood. I am greatly humbled to be allowed in the presence of one of Reim's famed High Priestess's attendants."

Claudia stared carefully at the man who presented himself in front of her, the hairs on the back of her neck standing up. His aura was different from a normal person's—that much she could tell. It was almost surprising how she didn't sense his odd presence before he called out to her, as she was usually very sharp in these cases. She had grown sensitive to the difference in the presences of magicians and normal people from her time in Lady Scheherazade's service. He did seem to be much weaker than the magicians she was used to though, so maybe that's why she didn't immediately notice him.

All the same, there was something in the air around him that was familiar, though she couldn't quite put her finger on exactly how.

"You . . . are a magician?"

The man's smile widened. "Ah, as expected of someone of your status. You were able to realize it so quickly!"

"That staff is a giveaway," she replied idly, eyeing the instrument in his hands. She furrowed her brows, now realizing why the air around him was familiar. Lady Viola's staff was of a like form, so their magic and personalities might have been similar. People of certain characters and dispositions tended to have the same inclinations, and this applied to their magic as well, though like other generalizations, that was not always the case.

"Ah, this?" Rou held out the staff in his left hand, touching the bottom end to the floor. It was about as tall as he was, made of carefully polished gold and with red jewels embedded in the rounded cap on top. He smiled proudly. "I suppose it does stand out. It was a gift from the master who taught me to control my abilities."

"The Princess Abigail . . . " Claudia started. "Is she also a magician?"

"Oh, not at all, my lady," Rou replied, shaking his head. "I am simply a scholar who also happens to be a magician. The material I teach the Princess is purely academic. Besides which, the most I can do is have a cool breeze blow in the summer," he added with a slight chuckle.

"I see." Claudia surveyed his posture and expression closely. "Did you need something from me?"

Rou squared his shoulders, setting his back straight before respectfully bowing to her once again. "The Princess has received news of your arrival, and wishes to greet you and pay her respects. If it is not too troublesome, we would like to request an audience. Of course, we will gladly entertain you at your most available hour. The mothers of both bride and groom have been greatly enthusiastic with the preparations for the event, leaving the Princess with much available time. You are most welcome at any period of the day."

Claudia tilted her head, wondering about the air formality he was keeping up. Certainly, the High Priestess's attendants inherited the influence of their lady's status, but Claudia herself was still only a ministra—the lowest rank of the Vestales—and the Princess was, well, a _princess_. While the gap between their statuses was possibly a matter perspective, he was still being far too humble. She knew enough about the culture of Shiraz to know that they were a proud people, and Rou's own birth country of Kou was not one for such self-effacing towards foreigners either, if the news of their recent conquests was anything to base opinions on.

There was obviously a hidden agenda to such a meeting. She had not suffered being used as Muu's excuse to refuse several such invitations for nothing.

"There's no need for such formality. We are to become sisters-in-law, after all—not legally, but, well, in idea anyway," Claudia shrugged. "In any case, my parents and brother return from their trip tomorrow, and I will be attending the family dinner that will take place the night of. If she wants to talk privately, we may do so over dessert."

"I see. Very well. We are very grateful. I will relay your message to the Princess," Rou said with another sweeping bow. Claudia blinked, actually expecting him to push a bit more from his tone of voice. "Yes, the Lady Claudia has just arrived, and you must still be weary from your journey. It would be best if you take some time to rest. We thank you for your agreeable answer. I am certain the Princess looks forward to your meeting. Good day, Lady Claudia."

He excused himself without letting her put in another word, his blue robes sweeping over the floor as he went back down the hallway, not a sound to be heard from his steps. Rou disappeared from her line of sight after turning the corner, and Claudia simply filed this incident into the back of her mind for the moment.

"Claudia."

Lord Gaius exited from her grandfather's office.

"Claudius will receive you now," the retired general told her, nodding and placing a hand on her shoulder as he passed her.

She paused in front of the door, taking a moment to steel herself before entering.

* * *

Lavinium was one of the oldest provinces on the continent. It had stood as an independency well before the Reim Empire even came to be. The capital city was located in the valley between the mountain range and the famous White Hills, overlooking a long strip of sandy beach. Its ports—which were once the center of all international trade—were situated near the base of the mountains, located some kilometers away.

It was the largest and greatest of all the provinces of Reim, its territory covering vast expanses of fields, hills, and marshes the south was famous for.

The young man named Sinbad stared at the horizon dotted with knolls, orange light seeping into the late afternoon sky.

Lavinium was the southernmost territory of Reim, and the only land border of the greatest empire in the world. Beyond those hills was Parthevian territory.

Since he left, he had never been closer to home.

"Despite being supposedly replaced by Napolia as Reim's main trading port, it looks like it's still quite busy here," Ja'far commented as they lingered in the city plaza. The streets were full of people going about the stalls and stores, and they had spotted several foreign ships docked in the ports, loading and unloading cargo. The traffic was enough to match Napolia's average day.

"Isn't that just because of the wedding?" Hinahoho wondered out loud. "The Cornelius family's pretty famous. From what we've heard, everyone who's anyone—or trying to be someone—is sending them gifts. Even _we_ could've sent them something, no problem."

"Maybe," Sinbad agreed as his eyes scanned the plaza. "But if we just sent them a gift, they probably wouldn't even bother trying to know who we are. Since the Master sent us as his proxies, we have an excuse to get closer to them and the other important people in attendance. And they won't be able to just ignore us because of our relations to the King of Balbadd. The Master's really helping us a lot, but it's also a big risk on his part. We can't afford to mess this up. So, I don't want anyone exhibiting any questionable behavior, understood?"

Turning to give his companions a stern look to show that he was being completely serious, Sinbad was met by two very blank stares.

"I really don't want to hear that from you," Ja'far said with a tired sigh.

"Yeah, I don't thinking sending _you_ to a wedding was the smartest idea ever, as well," Hinahoho said with a wry smile.

Sinbad furrowed his brows, sending a frown towards his two companions. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing," the Imuchakk said airily, waving a dismissive hand around. "Anyway, I've been wondering about it for a while now, but seriously, what's with this giant rock? Why's it displayed in the middle of a plaza? Don't they usually have fountains here?"

He gestured to the tall, rectangular stone in the middle of the plaza. It was pale gray in color, with white flecks, and it shimmered brightly under the sunlight.

"It's some sort of memorial, right?" Ja'far piped up. "I think I saw a plaque back there somewhere . . . "

"A memorial for what?" Sinbad asked curiously.

"For all the people in the southern towns who were killed during the Black Spot Incident."

The three of them turned their heads at the new voice. It was a young girl with blonde hair, wearing a light pink dress. The fine golden ornaments that decorated her otherwise simple outfit clued them in to her high status.

"During the war, a couple of troops of Parthevian soldiers crossed the borders in the middle of the night, sneaking past Reim's standing army, and set aflame all the small towns in the area of the White Hills," the girl told them, with something almost like giddiness seeping into her tone. "Both sides used sneaky attacks like that quite often. They terrorized villages near each other's borders, kidnapped women and children, spread lies and rumors to cause unrest—but this was different. It was nothing less than a one-sided massacre."

Ja'far frowned at her words, remembering the gladiatorial fights hosted at the Napolian Amphitheater. Her tone reminded him of the audience that cheered for every drop of blood that fell. He snuck a glance at his master, whose face remained carefully impassive.

"They call the damaged area the Black Spot, as even until now, it's just charred land with no life growing on it at all," the girl continued. She gave them a smile, "If you want to see for yourself, it's visible from the Pantheon of Lavinia in the mountain over there. It's a real sight—a huge pit of black just past the vineyards owned by the old families, stretching all the way to the hills in the horizon."

"I see," Sinbad replied blandly. "So that's how it is. That's very tragic."

The girl quieted at his lackluster reply, narrowing her eyes at them.

" . . . Yes. Quite," she answered back in clipped tones, her gaze sweeping over them. Her stare lingered longest on Hinahoho, who strained under her inspection until Sinbad took her attention.

"Are you a local here?" he asked in a friendlier tone, taking a few quick steps forward. "We're here for the Cornelius heir's wedding. My name is Sin, and these are my companions, Ja'far and Hinahoho."

"Everyone's here for the wedding," the girl said with an almost tired tone. She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. "Are you representing some foreign trading company?"

"We've come as proxies for the King of Baldbadd," Sinbad replied proudly.

The girl blinked. "Oh, Uncle Rashid isn't coming? That's too bad," she said, touching a hand to her cheek. "And here I'd hoped he would bring along Miss Anise again . . . It's been a while since I last saw her . . . "

Ja'far arched an eyebrow at the familiarity she addressed the King of Balbadd with. "I'm sorry, miss, but you haven't really introduced yourself yet?"

The girl crossed her arms, her gaze sweeping across the three of them before resting on Sinbad, who was now eyeing her with newfound interest.

"Ah, yes." She held up her wrist, showing them a modest golden bracelet in the form of two cornucopias connected by strings of round, dark purple jewels. "My name is Claudia Cornelia—I'm the younger sister of the man about to be married."

The Horn of Plenty was the emblem of the Cornelius family. Long ago, they had ruled over the south as the Royal Family of the Kingdom of Lavinium. They had been the last to subject to the military power of the then-expanding Reim Empire. Their kingdom turned into a province and they were stripped of all titles, but they still unquestionably reigned over the most bountiful farmlands of the territory.

Before heading for the southern provinces, Rurumu had briefed them on the main participants of the occasion, namely the Royal Family of Shiraz and the Cornelius family. The one she had told them to be most careful in treating—even more than the prickly and childish King of Shiraz or the infamously cunning Claudius Cornelius—was the little sister of the groom.

The girl named Claudia, who was a Vestalis, an attendant of the venerated High Priestess of Reim.

By law, any harm done upon a Vestalis was considered an attack against the High Priestess herself, and the full military might of Reim would be launched against those who offended their persons. Most of the time, the Vestales stayed by their mistress' side at the capital, but on special occasions, they were allowed to travel. Considering the guest list of the wedding, it was highly likely that the Lady Claudia would be allowed to attend the event as a representative.

Sinbad and females was a recipe for nothing less than a natural calamity, and Rurumu had insistently stamped this fact out in their minds.

Warning bells rang in Ja'far's ears as she introduced herself. In an instant, he grabbed Sinbad by the back of his shirt, pulling his master a respectable distance away from the young lady.

"Wha—!? Ja'far, what the heck?"

The young girl who identified herself as Scipio Cornelius's little sister eyed them. "Still, you say you're representatives of the King of Balbadd, but none of you look like you're from the Central Deserts . . . "

"Ah, yes. We come as His Majesty's proxy, but we are mere merchants of Reim," Ja'far replied pleasantly, pasting a smile onto his face and discreetly elbowing Sinbad in the gut to push him further away from the girl. The dungeon conqueror let out a silent groan. "Our president here is a disciple of the King of Balbadd, and we are in His Majesty's debt."

"President?" the girl repeated, looking at Sinbad.

"Yes. This man's full identity is of Sinbad, the president of the Sindria Trading Company," Ja'far revealed. "We meant no offense in not revealing this fact sooner. It was simply a nickname. I hope that you'll forgive us."

The girl blinked once, twice. "Oh? So you're that famed dungeon conqueror? I've read your book. It was very interesting."

She eyed Sinbad, who stood proud behind Ja'far, arms akimbo.

Somehow though, she did not look all that impressed.

"Although I expected someone more . . . " the girl started, "well, _more_."

Sinbad's proud stance faltered, and Hinahoho managed to pass off a bark of laughter as a very rough cough. Even Ja'far had to smirk a little.

"I mean, I knew he was supposed to be a kid, but still . . . "

"I assure you, fair lady," Sinbad pressed, stepping forward with a bow and taking her hand into his. Ja'far nearly shrieked. Bringing her hand close to his mouth, the dungeon conqueror pinned the girl down with a golden stare. "There is more to me than meets the eye. A man has to keep a few secrets after—huh?"

"Yeah, okay, sure," the girl, Claudia, said as she brushed past him, snatching her hand away from Sinbad's hold to stand in front of Hinahoho. She angled her head up to meet his gaze with a spark in her eyes that hadn't been present when she faced the dungeon conqueror. "Would you perchance be one of the elusive people of Imuchakk, good sir?"

"Oh, uhh, yeah, I guess," Hinahoho choppily replied, bringing a hand to scratch the back of his head, clearly uncomfortable with the attention suddenly being given to him—by the girl who loosely held their fates in her hands, by the former assassin who had his Household Vessels out and ready to tie him up and drag him away at the slightest mistake in his words, and by the shell-shocked dungeon conqueror who couldn't believe that he'd been passed over for someone else by a young woman. "Nice to meet you?"

"Are all your people as big as you?"

"Well, more or less . . . "

"He's married and has a kid!" Sinbad shouted snappily, trying to get her attention back to himself.

"Oh, that's wonderful!" the girl exclaimed, clapping her hands together. "Are the children of your people bigger than usual as well?"

"Yep, yep. I have a lovely wife who's given me a cute kid," Hinahoho replied, clearly more enthusiastic about talking to her now. "His name's Kikiriku and he's barely a year old but he's already as big as Ja'far—"

"And what do you think you're doing?" Ja'far asked lowly as he clamped a hand around Sinbad's elbow.

The dungeon conqueror was stopped in his tracks, and he turned to look at the former assassin with wide-eyes. Whisper-shouting at his subordinate, he said, "This situation is clearly unnatural! Why should she be interested in a married man with kids!? I am _clearly_ more—"

"This isn't a competition between the two of you! If she likes Hinahoho and Imuchakk culture, then it's good! She might put in a good word for us to her family! Don't ruin it by being so self-absorbed!" Ja'far hissed.

"B-But—!"

"Don't give me that!" Pulling out his trump card, Ja'far flashed his Household Vessel. Sinbad bit his lip. "Think about the company! If you offend her in any way, she'll set this entire empire against us!"

"I've been thinking, but isn't that law a bit silly—I mean," Sinbad raised his hands in surrender when the tips of the Household Vessel pressed against his throat, his subordinate flashing him a dirty glare reminiscent of his expressions when he was still an assassin. "Of course I won't do anything to her."

Ja'far expressed the amount of trust he had in those words with his eyes.

"Fine! I get it! I won't touch a hair on her head! I'll keep my distance! I'll behave like Miss Rurumu is watching my every move, _so stop looking at me like that_!" Sinbad gave in.

Ja'far hesitantly lowered his weapons, still giving his master a steady and careful stare.

"Hey, Sin, Ja'far," Hinahoho called out, gesturing for the two of them to come closer.

"Yes?"

Hinahoho extended a hand towards the girl who didn't even come up to his waist. "Miss Claudia's invited us to dinner at her home. What do you want to do?"

Sinbad and Ja'far shared a glance.

"We gladly accept!" Ja'far said with a pleasant smile. "We are greatly honored by the invitation!"

"It's nothing," the girl said. "I wanted to hear a bit more about the Imuchakk from Sir Hinahoho. I understand how rare of an opportunity to be able to talk to one of his people is. But before we return to the estate, you wouldn't mind taking a small detour, would you?"

"Not at all!" Sinbad replied. "What did you have in mind?"

"The Pantheon of Lavinia, the one I mentioned before. I've only recently arrived here from the capital, and I haven't paid my respects yet," she said before giving a slight pause as she stared at the mountains.

"Ah, yes," she murmured softly, a contemplative look on her face as she faced Sinbad. Seafoam met gold, and the smile that formed on her face was both pleasant and cunning. "Now that I think about it, I expect you'll find the place quite . . . _interesting_, to say the least."

The turn her voice took sent shivers down his spine, and Sinbad couldn't quite tell whether it was from foreboding or anticipation.

He grinned.

"Really now?"

* * *

"The sea has calmed down considerably. The Captain even said that we may arrive at Lavinium earlier than expected."

A black-haired young man was bent over the rails of the ship's deck, retching and writhing. He turned his head to the red-haired man who had spoken.

"Oh, thank the gods—" the young man grumbled before sinking to the floor. "That storm was horrible . . . "

The red-haired man stepped forward and crouched, rubbing the other man's back in circular motions.

"Should I fetch the ship doctor?"

"No, I'm good . . . " the young man wheezed out, hands gripping the rails above him. He turned to face the Fanalis with a smile. "Mzali, aren't you excited to see darling Claudia again?"

There was a pause before the Fanalis, Mzali, replied. "Yes. The young miss has been greatly missed."

"I wonder if she's gotten any taller~?" the black-haired man mused. "She's surely only grown lovelier after two years. I hear the women of the capital are always following the latest trends. She's always been a bit on vain side."

Mzali stared at his master with a thoughtful look on his face. "Young Master Scipio, can you really afford to be so carefree about this matter?"

"Hm~? What do you mean?"

"You have stolen the young miss's special day with your wedding," Mzali pointed out. "Will she not be upset over this?"

"It's fine, it's fine!" Scipio said, dismissively waving a hand. "It's the date the Royal Shirazi Oracle proclaimed most auspicious for the wedding, and I can't deny them that anyway. Besides, we've never even really celebrated it as solely her birthday before, since it's the first day of the Harvest Festival."

"Certainly . . . " Mzali replied. "But won't she still take offense?"

"Of course not!" Scipio exclaimed before tightly gripping the rails. "She wouldn't . . . right?"

The Fanalis stared at his master with pitying eyes, giving one of his rare smiles.

"If you say so."

* * *

**Afterwords:** A big, big, _biiiig_ thank you and digital cakes, cupcakes, and cookies to everyone for putting up with me and still reviewing, favoriting, and following this story even though I pretty much went on an extended and unannounced hiatus! Your support means the world to me, and I hope you've enjoyed this chapter. The next one is in the works, and being around 1/3 done, hopefully it won't take me another half-year to update, orz.


	6. The Churning Sea

**A/N:** I've been getting a lot of writing done recently, and I figured I owed you guys, so here~ In general, updates will most likely be monthly. I wanted to make remembering easier (for both me and you!), so you can expect a new chapter every first/first week of the month until this arc ends. The next few chapters are going to be longer than usual, too, because there are really wordy conversations and big scenes happening, so that's something to look forward to. Many thanks to everyone who followed, favorited, and reviewed!

There'll be a short discussion/me blabbering re: this story at the bottom, and I've got a couple of questions for everyone, so it would be a real help if you could answer them. C:

* * *

_Chapter Six_ | **The Churning Sea**

The Pantheon of Lavinia was a structure seemingly carved into the mountain itself. It was located on a lower part of the slope, before any steep inclines started. There was an old man in red robes tending to a plot of herbs outside the entrance, and he had bowed to Claudia as they approached, welcoming them.

Entering the Pantheon, they saw tall columns lining the long galley, torches hanging from each one and the fires giving an eerie glow to the hallowed hall. It was largely empty, except for the golden statue of a calf sitting on a bed of various crops encrusted with jewels at the very end, and paintings telling strange stories illustrated on the walls, depicting bizarre-looking monsters along with passages of familiar letters.

" . . . Why is the language of the dungeons written here?" Sinbad asked, running his fingers across the engraved characters.

"This is the Torran language, right?" Ja'far questioned. Hinahoho shone light on the walls with a torch he had picked up at the entrance. "That's what that Drakon guy called it."

"The language already existed in the isolated Torran villages all over the world before the dungeons even appeared," Claudia explained. "The Torran culture is an obscure field of study, but it's not completely unknown. Many of the old civilizations had good relations with them before they retreated to the south. Lavinium is no different, and there used to be a fair number of Torran settlements close to the city."

"Drakon did say it was used by some minority race in the south," Ja'far confirmed.

With an almost reverent tone in her voice, Claudia added, "This place is more than a thousand years old. Its history is unmatched, even in the eastern continent." She held a torch aloft over her head, shining light on what looked to be the beginning of the story: a figure with a winged staff was leading a man into an archway that resembled the Pantheon's entrance.

Sinbad glanced at the smile on her face. "What stories are these telling?"

"It's basically an account of how the old kingdom was founded," Claudia replied nonchalantly. "The first king of Lavinium entered the Bull God's Labyrinth and successfully asked him to bless this land with bountiful harvests. The Pantheon's structure is modeled after that Labyrinth. In any case, I'll be offering prayers at the statue at the end of the hall. It shouldn't take long, but please feel free to look around as much as you like."

The girl headed towards the statue of the calf while they lingered near the entrance to further inspect the walls.

" . . . It sounds like he entered a dungeon and conquered it," Hinahoho commented, voicing out their thoughts.

"Remember Miss Rurumu's lesson on the Great Kouga Empire from the east?" Sinbad asked. "It was said that their first king had some demonic power that helped in making them the greatest military nation of the time. Maybe Baal wasn't the first tower to ever appear after all."

"There are lots of similar stories about people with strange abilities who established countries throughout history, but they're all scattered in various eras," Ja'far mused as they began walking along the length of the wall. "Nowadays though, these weird towers seem to be popping up everywhere, especially in the eastern continent. What does it all mean?"

"There's still so much we don't know about these dungeons," Hinahoho frowned. "There's the power Baal granted to Ja'far as well. How's training been going, by the way?"

"It basically lets me shoot lightning, and it makes it easier to control how the blades move in midair," Ja'far replied. "We're still trying to see if I can transform my arm like Sin does, but so far, no dice . . . Huh? Sin?"

Their master had stopped a few feet away from them, arms crossed and head angled slightly up. His brows were furrowed as he stared at a point on the wall just above his head.

"What's wrong?" Hinahoho asked.

"Nah, well . . . I thought this one brick was kinda sticking out," Sinbad said. He reached up. "This one here, see—WHOA!"

"AAAHHH! SIN!"

A section of the wall gave in, and the floor beneath Sinbad's feet rose. The dungeon capturer fell into the dark hole that opened up and disappeared.

The contraption clicked back into place, leaving no clues of its true nature other than a cloud of dust.

"Hey, hey, heeey! What the hell!? What the fuck happened!?" Ja'far screamed in panic, banging on the area of the wall their master vanished into. "Sin!? Can you hear me!? Sin!"

"Calm down!"

Ja'far turned on his heel, pulling out his Household Vessels. "How dare you tell me to calm down in a situation like this, you fu—!"

Hinahoho clamped a hand over his mouth. The blonde girl raised a brow.

The white-haired boy began to sweat. He shoved the weapons back into his sleeves and the Imuchakk carefully let him go.

So silent that they hadn't even noticed his presence, the old man from before was already beside them. Even a former assassin like Ja'far was startled, but the girl hadn't reacted at all.

"Hmm, well, this place actually goes much deeper into the mountain than just this hall," the old man informed them. "But since it's already so old, this is the only area we maintain for visitors. The traps should have been all rendered ineffective long ago, though."

He turned, giving a slow smile. "This one might have broken."

"Gramps, you should check on this stuff regularly," Claudia chided.

"This old man is already getting on in the years . . . "

"I don't want to hear that from someone who was the undefeated winner of the Urbana's drinking contest for over forty years in a row," Claudia said testily. "Get your liver to actually break down before calling yourself too old."

The old man chuckled, clasping his hands together under his sleeves and bowing.

"Then I will leave this matter to the young miss. I will inform the Cornelius estate that you might be a little late in returning. Good day."

The old man began walking away, and the girl stepped towards them, facing the wall. She stared at the protruded brick that was the cause of the entire hullabaloo.

It really was remarkable that he had noticed that in the first place. She'd been to this temple hundreds of times before, but since there were both transcripts and translations of the stories in her home, she had never paid the actual walls they were written on much attention.

Besides, despite the frequency of her visits, the Pantheon had never really been on her list of favorite places, even though normally it should have been.

"Is Sin—will our master be alright?"

Glancing at her profile, Ja'far saw a smirk playing on her lips, and he wasn't quite sure what to make of it.

"He's already conquered a real dungeon. He can conquer a fake one."

Claudia jumped up, pushing the protruded brick back.

"GAAAH!"

* * *

The place Sinbad had dropped into was pitch black.

Hinahoho had taken a torch from the entrance, and he was starting to regret that he hadn't taken one as well. The ground underneath him had the same texture as the floor in the hall, so he assumed he was still in a part of the Pantheon, but when he reached out to touch the wall, it felt roughly hewn, like a cave wall.

The air here was also much heavier—dank and stuffy, though thankfully it wasn't enough to give him any trouble in breathing. There were some rank odors here and there, but nothing that seemed poisonous or out of place in a cave. He was surrounded by a permeating silence, and the only sounds he could hear were the scratch of his boots on the floor.

In any case, getting some light was his first priority.

"Oh! Baal!"

Unsheathing the memento sword of his father, he held the Metal Vessel out in front of him.

"Baal! Give me light!"

Pouring power into the sword, its blade cackled with lightning, filling the space he was in with a dim glow. It was not as bright as he had hoped, but it would have to do.

He was in a circular cavern, with three high, dark arches in front of him. The floor was indeed made of mosaic tiles like the hall, and closer inspection revealed a design of winding geometric lines ending at a circular mark in front of the arch to the left. Above him was the curving tunnel he had fallen from.

Something faintly echoed.

Narrowing his eyes, Sinbad held his sword up as high as he could reach.

"—_gaaaAAAAAH!_"

"ARGH!"

"Oww . . . " Hinahoho grumbled as his back hit the ground, feeling something writhing underneath him. He held his two juniors in a bear hug to protect them from the impact of the fall.

"The torches went out! It's completely dark! How are we going to find Sin like this!?"

"I'm here . . . "

"Eh? Sin! Where are you!?"

Something glowed in the darkness. Ja'far scrambled out of the Imuchakk's grip.

"Hinahoho, you're crushing him!"

"Ah, whoops."

Standing up, they found their master sprawled onto the ground with Baal in hand, the sword giving off a soft glow.

"_Sin!_"

"A waste of magoi. Do you even know how to use a Metal Vessel?"

The girl crouched down in front of the dungeon conqueror, pressing the ends of the torches against the lightning-covered blade. They erupted into flames, filling the cavern with light. She held both of them aloft, passing one to Hinahoho.

Ja'far dropped to his knees by his master's side. "Hey, Sin! Are you okay?"

Sinbad struggled to stand up even with his subordinate's help. He weakly gave them a thumbs up when he managed to rise to a kneeling position.

Ja'far let out a relieved sigh before turning to bark at the girl who had pushed them into the tunnel without so much as a word of notice. "And you! What's your deal!? You're a crazy bitch for suddenly throwing us into the tunnel like that!"

Sinbad placed a hand on Ja'far's shoulder, dryly asking, "What happened to 'think about the company'?"

"Urgh . . . " the former assassin grimaced.

The blonde girl spared him an uninterested glance. "We found your president, didn't we?"

"How the hell do you plan on getting us out of this place then?" Ja'far demanded.

Claudia raised the torch, turning her head to each of the arches as she examined them. She pointed the torch to the left.

"The exit is this way!" she exclaimed, and promptly headed inside it.

"H-Hey!"

The three of them scrambled to follow her.

"Have you been down here before?" Ja'far questioned.

"No."

"Then how'd you know this is the way to the exit?"

"Woman's intuition."

Ja'far stopped in his tracks. "Like hell I'm following you blindly!"

"It's fine, isn't it?" Sinbad said, grasping his subordinate's shoulders and pushing him along. "I feel like this is the right path, too."

Ja'far grumbled some more.

"What's up with that girl?" the white-haired boy hissed. "I thought she was decent, but she's surprisingly reckless. She threw us into that tunnel with a perfectly straight face, and she didn't even scream when we fell."

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure you screamed enough for the three of us," Hinahoho grinned teasingly.

Ja'far flushed red.

"Wha—!?"

"Well, in any case, it looks like she knows where she's going, so we should just follow her for now," Sinbad said.

Ja'far eyed the girl walking in front of them warily. "Are you sure you want to trust her on that . . . ?"

"I basically wing things all the time though," Sinbad stated with a smile.

The former assassin couldn't do anything but concede.

"By the way, Lady Claudia," Sinbad called out. "What was that 'magoi' thing you mentioned earlier?"

The girl stopped walking, turning to them with a surprised look on her face. "You're a dungeon conqueror but you don't even know that much?"

"I understand that it's some sort of 'magic power' that allows me to use the abilities of the Metal Vessel," Sinbad said, walking up next to her. "But I don't know anything concrete. You seem to know about it, so I was hoping you could enlighten me."

"Well, you're on the right track with 'magic power,'" she said as she started walking again, Sinbad keeping pace beside her. "And that's basically what it is. All living things are born with magoi, but only magicians can use it to perform spells. However, with the Metal Vessel as the medium, a normal human can also produce magic. But unlike magicians whose bodies have a natural limiter that keeps the magoi they consume for spells under a safe level, Metal Vessels tend to use a lot of magoi when producing magic. Every living being only has a limited amount of magoi it can store within itself, so if you're not careful, you can easily die. Magoi is not exactly equal to 'life force' as it can be regained when consumed, but if you suddenly run out of it, death is very possible."

She threw him a dry look. "What you were doing earlier was a perfect example of uselessly wasting magoi and rushing to your own death."

"Please do elaborate."

"A Metal Vessel isn't just something that lets you shoot out magic. Its true power is that it allows its wielder to become the djinn itself."

"Become . . . the djinn?" Sinbad repeated.

"A djinn that has chosen a king will reside in a Metal Vessel. Pouring magoi into it will allow the djinn's power to manifest. Have your Metal Vessels ever changed forms?"

"Yes, Baal's sword changes form if I pour enough power," Sinbad replied eagerly. "And sometimes my arms as well. I once even grew a tail!"

"Then you've already partially figured it out," Claudia said. "Your Metal Vessel transforms by 'wearing' the power of the djinn. Now apply that concept to your own body. Compress the djinn's power around yourself and wear it. You can become the djinn itself and produce magic several times more powerful. This city might look like it was built on a valley, but the truth is that the mountains extended all the way to the hills you see in the horizon. This land was leveled with a djinn's power."

"Then—"

"What you suspect is correct," Claudia confirmed. "The first king of Lavinium entered a dungeon and was chosen by the djinn as a king vessel, afterwards establishing the Kingdom of Lavinium. This place, the Pantheon of Lavinia, is based off of the dungeon Haagenti, Spirit of Honesty and Fertility. Most of what I've told you comes from what I've read in the royal diaries."

"Are there gonna be monsters in here too . . . ?" Hinahoho asked cautiously, remembering the flesh-eating butterflies from Valefor's dungeon.

"Only the structure is based off of Haagenti," Claudia said. "In the first place, this isn't a real dungeon. There won't be any strange monsters—"

"Watch out!"

Sinbad tackled her to the ground, keeping her head in the crook of his neck so that it didn't hit anything as they landed.

"What is that?"

Something had dropped on them from the ceiling. It was a large mass of dark brown, around the length of the average man's forearm, soft-bodied, and wriggling on the ground.

" . . . That's a cave leech," Ja'far said slowly. "Don't tell me . . . "

Sinbad picked up the torch Claudia had dropped, throwing it upwards. The fire shone on masses of leeches clinging to the cave ceiling as the torch flew, and several of them started dropping.

"Run!"

They ran down the tunnel, leeches falling like rain from the ceiling behind and in front of them. Sinbad covered the blonde girl's bare shoulders with his arm as they ran, and she kept her arms crossed to minimize the exposed skin the leeches could latch onto.

"Idiot! Why'd you throw it!? They hate fire!" Ja'far snapped.

Sinbad wailed as his subordinate threw more insults at him while they raced down the tunnel. "I'm sorry! I wanted to confirm it! I was just going with the flow! "

"Ack!"

"Hinahoho!"

Due to his large stature, several leeches had landed on Hinahoho's arms and shoulders.

"Wait, don't just pull it off!" Ja'far warned. "You'll leave the sucker on!"

"Tch!" Keeping one arm around Claudia, Sinbad spun on his heel, taking out a necklace from under his shirt—his second Metal Vessel. "Spirit of Falsehood and Prestige, I command thee in the name of my magoi! Come out, Valefor!"

A cold wind blew before bursting and whirling around the tunnel, a layer of ice freezing over everything as far as the eye could see in both sides. The leeches stopped dropping from the ceiling, and everything shone bright white.

Sinbad let go of her and rushed to Hinahoho's side.

"A-Amazing . . . " Claudia murmured, her breaths coming out in white wisps. While she was tempted to say the magic's range of effect was needlessly wide, she still could not help but be in awe.

She'd read stories, had thought and theorized with Aquilia, but she'd never actually seen magic being used like this before. Despite being a magician—and a Magi, at that—Lady Scheherazade discouraged the use of magic in general, unless it was for special purposes. Most of the magic she had seen being performed were Lady Coelia's healing spells and some simple formulas Aquilia practiced with. The spells used in caring for and creating their lady's clones were certainly some of the most complex and difficult formulas known to magicians, but it was not something that could be found impressive unless one knew its true intricacies.

But to cover an entire cave in ice—such a uselessly flashy spell like this would have earned a frown of disappointment or maybe even a scolding from the High Priestess. For normal magicians, the magic output for a spell like this would have drained them to the point of collapse, but Sinbad did not look even the least bit tired.

Either he had as much magoi as a once-in-a-century genius like Lady Sofia, or she had severely underestimated the true abilities of a Metal Vessel.

This was the legendary dungeon conqueror, chosen by the djinn to become a king.

"D-Does it hurt?" Sinbad asked tentatively, looking very much like he wanted to poke one of the leeches on the Imuchakk's shoulder. He had a finger hovering barely a hair's breadth away from it.

"Not really, actually," Hinahoho replied, holding out an arm covered with leeches to Ja'far. "In fact, I don't feel a thing. Is that normal?"

"They inject some kind of anesthetic before biting. But they're not poisonous, nor are they infectious, so you don't have to worry," the former assassin said, taking out his blade and gesturing for Sinbad to come closer. "I've come across a lot of these before, though never this huge. Here, I'll show you how to take them off properly."

Walking towards them, Claudia pointed out, "They're big, so it'll be easier to just cut them."

"That'll still leave the sucker on, so it's better to get them off in one go," Ja'far said. "Also, cutting them all open will just create a bloody mess."

"We'll go with Ja'far's method, yeah?" the Imuchakk said with a pale face.

The white-haired boy resumed his demonstration of the proper way to remove leeches.

Claudia pinched one on Hinahoho's shoulder by its sucker, injecting it with a small amount of her magoi to shock it. It immediately let go and fell to the ground.

"Huh? What did you do?" Ja'far asked.

"I just used some magoi to shock it and make it let go," she replied blithely, walking behind the Imuchakk to get to the ones on his back.

"Oh, I see!" Sinbad said, placing a hand on Baal's hilt.

Ja'far grabbed him by the wrist, throwing him a glare. "And what the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Umm . . . she said she shocked them . . . ?"

Hinahoho gave him a look and Ja'far pointed to a corner.

Sinbad silently dragged himself to it, crouching on the ground and wrapping his arms around his legs.

Claudia and Ja'far quickly removed the rest of the leeches. Luckily, the white-haired boy had a first aid kit with him, and they were able to treat the open wounds left. As leeches inject an anti-coagulant to keep blood from clotting so they could keep drinking until they were full, they had to wrap up one of Hinahoho's arms to keep him from bleeding out.

"We have someone with extensive medical knowledge in our household, so I'll ask him to take a look at you later," Claudia told him.

"No one else has anything that needs immediate treatment, right?" Ja'far asked as he packed up the first aid kit. "Check your body thoroughly in case there might have been any smaller leeches. Sin?"

" . . . I'm good . . . "

"We should hurry up and get out of this place," Claudia said. "If there are leeches that big here, then there should be other big animals for them to prey on. Also, knowing that lazy old man, he probably never sent the message. I told my household I would be back before night fell. They might send people out to look for me otherwise."

At her words, it was like someone slapped Ja'far in the face with several bricks stamped with her identity .

Forcing a smile, he turned to the blonde girl, "L-Lady Claudia, please excuse my earlier rudeness . . . "

"I don't mind," she said bluntly. "You were rightfully concerned for your master's safety. I praise your dedication."

The white-haired boy was visibly relieved.

"Well, the cave leeches shouldn't be a bother anymore," Sinbad said, settling his jacket over the blonde girl's shoulders. Smiling down at her, he said, "It might not be of much help against the cold, but it would put me at ease if the young lady would use it."

The look on the girl's face was placid. "You have my gratitude. For earlier as well."

"Not at all, my lady."

"Considering the distance, direction, and inclines we've traveled," Claudia started as she slipped her arms through the sleeves of Sinbad's jacket, "if we continue without much change in the terrain, we should be able to come out to the lookout point. If I remember correctly, they blocked off a tunnel there, but it should be easy to bring down with your lightning Metal Vessel. Though it might depend on how thickly they closed it off."

"Just leave it to me," Sinbad replied, pumping a fist to his chest. "Hinahoho, you're okay now too, right?"

"Yep. I'm good to go," the Imuchakk assured, holding their last torch aloft.

"Alright," Sinbad grinned. "Shall we continue our adventure then?"

* * *

The next leg of their journey was filled with Hinahoho's anecdotes about Imuchakk traditions and Sinbad's recounting of their adventure in Valefor's dungeon, with some serious editing by Ja'far at various points.

The blonde girl had gotten along swimmingly with Hinahoho from the start, and it seemed that she was hitting it off with Sinbad quite well after they started talking. At the very least, Ja'far was assured that she wasn't going to set the entirety of Reim's military on them.

"Ah, yes. True, it is a written law, but it really only applies to severe physical injury and serious, criminally-accusable acts."

Knowing their master though, he was still a bit on edge about that second point, but for now, it looked like they were safe. The atmosphere around them as they talked was good, and it seemed like they were very much in the young lady's good graces. Her interest in them stemmed largely from her fascination with the Imuchakk culture, and Sinbad had several points to discuss with her regarding the records of her family, which she was also all too happy to talk about. Though they had come here initially to make more connections for their company, it looked like they would be getting much more than that.

Because Lavinium had existed for such a long time already, its documents and records were all well-kept and impeccably maintained. If they wanted to learn more about the dungeons, this was probably the best place to go to.

Despite being absorbed into the Reim Empire, the old kingdom's customs and practices hadn't changed much from its original ones at all. It might have been due to the distance to the capital, but if anything, Reim had adopted Lavinian culture instead. Other kingdoms and empires came and went, but Lavinium had stood the test of time.

And so did the Cornelius family.

Ja'far still didn't know what to make of the girl with them. She didn't seem like a bad person, but there was still something off about her that put him on edge. So far, she came off like an entitled rich girl with a reckless streak, but he had the nagging feeling that summarizing her like that was a gross understatement. He could compare her to Sin, but that also wasn't quite right. True, they had several similarities—especially that annoying tendency to jump headfirst into trouble—but considering she was intelligent in a way Sin was not, the implications of their actions were entirely different.

"To be honest, other than the diaries, there isn't much concerning the dungeon and the djinn, and since they mostly come from the earliest point of our history, surviving documents themselves are scarce," Claudia said. "Most of the matters concerning magic have been twisted into mythos over the years, and stripping the literary license from the legends might require extensive background research. Plenty of the original records are in Torran too, since it was once considered the language of the learned here, so there might be some things lost in translation."

"Considering that the Torran language is found in the dungeons, I think it would be useful to learn it," Sinbad mused. "But I don't have any close acquaintances who could teach me. Do you have any suggestions on how and where to start?"

"There are several institutions in Reim where you can take classes for a fee. Learning the Torran language should be possible there. But if you have the resources, hiring a private tutor would probably be the most convenient if you have a busy schedule," the girl said after some consideration. "There should be several scholars invited to the wedding, so I think I can introduce you to some people."

"That would be extremely helpful," Sinbad beamed. "The Lady Claudia is too kind."

"Ah, but I'm sure scholars would jump at the chance to teach the legendary dungeon conqueror."

"I was born a simple fisherman's son, and I couldn't even read or write until recently," Sinbad revealed. "His Majesty, the King of Balbadd was the one who taught me what I know about trading, and it's thanks to him that my company has grown so much in so little time. But my first teacher who taught me letters, numbers, history, and practically everything else is Miss Rurumu, Hinahoho's wife. Ja'far and I learned from her at the same time."

"Sir Hinahoho's wife sounds like a wonderful woman," Claudia said with a smile, turning to the Imuchakk. "I would love to meet her someday."

"She's everything I could ever want and more," Hinahoho grinned. "You should visit us in Napolia one day. You said you liked pickled eel ovaries, right? You're going to love her smoked eel."

"Oh, I adore seafood," Claudia admitted excitedly. "Shellfish is my favorite, but it's so hard to find in Remano. And it's just no good unless they're fresh."

Sinbad stroked his chin. "That trade could very well be worth looking into. There's a lot of focus on preserved goods because freighting takes a long time . . . "

"Please do!" the girl said, turning to him with sparkling eyes. "Freshwater fish just don't taste the same . . . And I get so easily tired of the usual beef, pork, and chicken . . . "

"I understand," Sinbad said, nodding sagely. Placing a hand on his stomach, he added, "But all this talk about food is making me hungry. We've been walking for a while now. Aren't we close to the exit yet?"

"That's true . . . " Claudia said slowly. "The incline has been getting steeper as well. It feels like we're going higher and higher."

"It's been pretty much a one-way path though," Hinahoho chipped in. "There weren't very many turns either."

"And there's been no sign of any other living things besides the leeches," Ja'far added. "Not even insects."

" . . . That's strange," Claudia muttered, a furrow forming between her brows. "It shouldn't be this dead. We've passed the area covered in ice as well."

"Maybe they ran away 'cause of the ice?" Hinahoho wondered.

"That's possible, I suppose," Claudia conceded.

"In any case, there's not much choice for us except to go forward," Sinbad said encouragingly. "It's fine! Everything's going to be alright!"

They dredged on for a while longer, filling the boring walk with conversation that the dungeon conqueror and the Vestalis seemed to take shifts in leading.

Soon enough, they arrived into a wider space that housed a flowing stream and an impressive display of cave deposits. Hinahoho even had to break a few stalagmites and stalactites so he could move around easier.

"An underground river?"

"The cave formations are massive and numerous," Claudia noted. "We might be under the water gap. Upstream would be the city, downstream the ports."

"What's a water gap?" Hinahoho asked.

"It's basically a river that runs through a mountain range," Claudia explained. "There's a road that runs along it for transporting goods from the port to the city."

"So we head upstream?" Ja'far asked. "We've been climbing based on the inclines of the paths, so the exit might be somewhere close. You did say we might come out at that lookout point."

" . . . No, if we're following the river, then I wouldn't recommend upstream," Claudia said after a moment of thought. "It diverges from the road at one point and ends at a lake further out behind the mountain range. I don't know if we can find an exit."

"So downstream?"

Claudia frowned. "Downstream flows toward the open ocean by the docks, and I know there's a cave opening at the end, but it flows underground for several of kilometers before that. Even if we do what you did at Valefor's dungeon, Sir Hinahoho would have to carry the three of us through that, and I don't what kinds of things might be in the water." She paused for a moment, and in a smaller voice added, "Also, I can't swim. Like, at all."

Sinbad blinked. "Even though you live at a port city?"

"I'm really bad with water," Claudia replied bluntly.

"Are you scared of it?"

"'Scared' isn't really the right word . . . "

The blonde girl turned her gaze to the river, its rapid flow reflecting in her eyes, along with the flickering flames from the torch.

_Ah. _

He only now noticed, but her eyes were the color of the sea—the one he went out to with his father when he managed to sneak onto their boat without him noticing; that fickle maiden whose attitude sometimes took a tumultuous turn, and would have the waves thrash them around, but still provide a calm sanctuary that he could always find.

Looking into her eyes reminded him of his family, and he both could and couldn't understand why it was so painful.

Claudia's voice took a low and cold turn. "Maybe I just 'can't stand the sight of it'?"

"Then how about freezing it over and digging a path through there?" Ja'far suggested. "That's another thing we did back at Valefor's dungeon."

"It's best not to use too much magic, but . . . " she turned to look at the dungeon conqueror. "President Sinbad?"

"Huh?" He took a quick glance at each of his companions, running a hand through his hair. "Oh. It's fine."

"It should be okay if we limit it to only the underground river," Hinahoho said. "I mean, Sin hasn't really fallen into a serious condition from using too much magic before."

"I see . . . "

"I can help out if need be, as well," Ja'far said.

"Alright. We'll go with that then."

They resumed walking, following the downstream flow. Claudia and Hinahoho were at the front, talking about Imuchakk food and cooking methods. Sinbad had meandered to the back, keeping pace with his white-haired subordinate.

"What's wrong?" Ja'far asked quietly.

" . . . It's nothing."

The former assassin stared up at his master's expression. Something was flickering in the dungeon capturer's eyes.

Returning his gaze to the front, Ja'far asked, "What do you think of her? I don't think she's a bad person, but . . . "

There was silence between them. It took Sinbad several moments to answer, and Ja'far almost thought the conversation had been dropped.

"She's pure. But also cunning."

The former assassin arched a brow. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"She's so much of both that it's impossible to tell if she's being genuine, or actually calculating her every move," Sinbad said. "I don't think she's been lying to us, nor does she have any bad intentions, but I get the feeling that we've been completely sucked into her pace. I can't really read her clearly."

Ja'far frowned. "Can we trust her?"

Sinbad smiled. "It really just depends on _what_. In any case—"

The white-haired boy furrowed his brows as he watched his master's expression twist into something else.

"—she's definitely an interesting girl."

* * *

**Discussion Corner:**

\- I noted some age references in a previous A/N, but I've been timelining AoS and the main series, and a couple of numbers aren't really adding up, so, uhh, I guess, I just wanted to tell you guys that numbers will be fudged up a bit. I at least maintain the A is older than B, C is younger than D stuff, but I'll be writing with the assumption that the exact numbers are blurry. There might be some statements of ages, but they will be very meh, and won't really represent any significant meaning. Timeline is also slightly adjusted upwards compared to in AoS. Currently, this is some time (like, half a year maybe) before Sin &amp; co. set out for Sasan. TL;DR, I suck at math, so I'll have to ask you to put up with conveniently adjusted ages and timelines.

\- I already mentioned on top that the next few chapters will be longer than usual. This arc is already outlined, and it lasts to up until Chapter 10, give or take. It depends on how long I drag out some backstories and where I cut the chapters. I like to keep a more or less even word count per chap, but would you guys prefer like, one monster chap that could've been cut into two? Or do I just cut it into two? FYI, it might affect update schedules.

\- Karma Noire (anon) mentioned the abundance of OCs in this fic, and I guess . . . um, you guys aren't overwhelmed, right? I tend to write very plot-driven storylines, so I put in quite a number of OCs as padding. I can probably make a quick-list in case anyone starts getting confused. But, yeah, these people are here for plot reasons, and my stuff is usually an armory/military for Chekhov . . . ^^;; You are totally free to warn me if it gets too much!

\- Some next chapters are gonna be . . . _depressing_, so I was thinking about opening up an omake corner or something. IDK, like _Ask Claudia_ or something, to lighten the mood. ^u^ Send in some questions, or you can, like, recommend one of the Magi omakes. The First Impressions thing (it might be fun to have for characters that haven't appeared yet, esp the younger kids; it'll make me think in advance orz), Yunan's sassy dream stuff, the thing with the rankings . . .

\- Which OCs faces do you want to see? I'm reworking some of the Vestales' designs, and I have a vague visual for Scipio and Mzali. Abigail has a design already, too, even though she hasn't officially appeared yet . . . I might make one big cast piece one day. Probably. Or not. OTL

\- Also, SPOILER: There is a Kou Arc in the works, and I'm drawing stuff for it, and YOUNG!KOUEN'S FACE IS NOT COOPERATING ASHJADGFLH.

. . . Yeah, I've babbled for too long now. Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Feedback would be really appreciated~


	7. The Creeping Shadow

**A/N:** I don't even have an excuse. :| Except maybe trying to sound smart is really hard.

Unedited. Will come back to this maybe next week, so holler if you spot any mistakes. (Next chapter is maybe 65% done.)

* * *

_Chapter Seven_ | **The Creeping Shadow**

Judging by the position of the stars when they finally exited the cave, they'd been inside for a bit over three hours.

After heading downstream, they were able to proceed without much difficulty that it was almost anti-climactic. Both Sinbad and the young lady easily agreed on which path to take whenever there were forks on the road, and there had been no further encounters with other dangerous animals, save a mysterious shadow in the river that was travelling upstream, but it had not bothered them, so they had not bother it. Valefor's power had been used to freeze the river when it started to go underground, and a path had been blasted through using Baal's lightning.

They had exited a little ways away from the port, where the river flowed into the open sea.

Fires lit the docks as the workers continued to haul goods from the ships into the warehouses. It looked even busier than it had in the day, and it seemed like everyone was double-timing as the seconds ticked down until the wedding.

"Oh! It's the young miss! Wait—what happened to you!?"

Claudia was recognized by practically everyone on the ports, and at one point they even thought they had kidnapped her, but the situation was eventually cleared up. They were able to hitch a ride back to the city with one of the porters about to go home, and they even received some snacks to carry them through the trip.

When they finally arrived at the Cornelius estate, it truly was a sight to behold. It was practically large enough to be called a palace, and considering that the owners were former royalty, it technically had been one, once upon a time. The structure was almost fortress-like, made almost entirely of clean white stone covered by ornamental stucco reliefs of twisting vines and floral patterns. The circular main building stood atop a tall hill overlooking the entire city, and smaller, separated annexes surrounded it at the base. Lush bushes of multicoloured blooms marked out paths across the sprawling property, and silver braziers stood at every few feet or so, with the ones leading to the main entrance lighted with burning coals. Combined with the dim light of the setting sun, the entire estate exuded an aura of mystery, giving the impression that it was a special and sacred space.

As they approached the building, they saw on either side of the main entrance two marble statues of larger-than-life figures—a man with a broadsword that had a bull's head as the pommel and a woman with a winged staff as tall as she was. Close-up, the man's armor was intricately detailed with twisting vines that formed the image of a cornucopia on his chestplate, and the broadsword he had raised was marked with the eight-pointed star found in the Metal Vessels. The draping of the woman's dress was masterfully carved, curving and folding like water at her feet. She had fine features, and looked a bit like an older version of the girl with them.

They were told that the two figures were the founders of the House of Cornelius and the Kingdom of Lavinium, Livius Cornelius I and Lavinia the Great.

When their party entered the foyer, they were welcomed by servants who fussed over their young miss. Claudia had ordered a bath to be drawn and fresh clothes for her guests, calling for their family doctor to look at Hinahoho as well.

"Dinner should be ready once we've all cleaned up," Claudia had told them. "Until then, please relax and allow us to care for you."

Before she left, Claudia met Sinbad's gaze, giving him an indulgent smile that obviously meant something else as the servants began gathering about them, intent on attending to their lady's guests' needs.

"Sin..." There was tentativeness in Ja'far's voice as he carefully watched his master's reactions to the people around them. Even Hinahoho had to give pause, for the similarity in features was too hard to miss.

There were plenty of people with violet-toned hair and golden eyes among those working in the estate, and it did not take a genius to work out that they were likely Parthevian prisoners of war sold into slavery. It made sense, considering the area's proximity to the border, but admittedly, these people did not look like the usual slaves they had seen before in Napolia, having healthier constitutions and being well-dressed with clean clothes, their eyes brimming with life and vivaciousness. Even their collars—the mark of slavery in Reim—looked more like beautiful necklaces instead, metal circlets that ended in the image of cornucopias, held together by three thin strings of chains.

A fair-haired man dressed in more lavishly-colored robes than most of the other servants came up to them, sweeping a hand towards a hallway to the west.

"President Sinbad and company, the baths are this way," he intoned. "If you would please follow me. The young miss would be disappointed if she finds that her guests were not treated well. If you have any questions, I will be happy to answer them for you."

Sinbad only gave a low hum of agreement before walking down the hall indicated by the servant. Ja'far and Hinahoho followed wordlessly, and a small entourage trailed behind them, with majority of the other Parthevian slaves leaving them to attend to other things.

"Do those people all... work here?" Sinbad asked quietly.

"A large percentage of the slaves here in Lavinium are Parthevian citizens—soldiers and civilian prisoners of war," the man explained to them bluntly. "However, if you would care to know, here in Lavinium especially, due to the influence of the Cornelius family, it is not the amount of slaves which contributes to the status of their owners, but the quality. Those who are beautiful, educated, or capable are valued higher—if you ask me, it is not so different from the way people who are not slaves are treated. In fact, one can even argue that we are given better opportunities at advancing ourselves than regular citizens."

Sinbad furrowed his brows in confusion. "Opportunities? Does that mean... you are educated at the expense of your owners?"

"Have you heard of the Mariadel Company? It is a business that was started here in Lavinium before they moved their headquarters to Ria Venice Island. The Mariadel Company invests much in child slaves, training and educating them from an early age so that when they are ready to sell, they can fetch quite the pretty price," the man told them. "Prisoners of war do not have that kind of history, but they are given opportunities to learn and improve themselves nonetheless; if they hail from the skilled working class, they are given the option to study to further improve their craft. There are all kinds of people in the service of the families and businesses here, and if you work hard, you can carve out a position for yourself. If you prove that you have potential, it is not impossible that your master will take notice and invest in you—by letting you undergo formal lessons or having you learn under better maestros.

"The old kingdom of Lavinium was run by a monarchy, but there was no peerage system and official positions were assigned based on skill and capability—essentially, it was a meritocracy. That the Cornelius family has remained in power all this time is a testament to the ability of its members. The lives people live here are better than anything Parthevia could ever hope to offer."

"That... certainly is an interesting point of view," Sinbad started, "but that doesn't change the fact that you're considered property and not humans."

"In the world of today, property is treated much better than humans," the servant replied with a something between a smirk and a grimace playing on his lips. "And that Reim is far more prosperous than Parthevia is an obvious fact. Even you had left your birth country to come and look for better opportunities here, did you not, Sir Dungeon Conqueror?"

"Watch your mouth," Ja'far hissed, glaring at the blonde man as his fingers twitched toward his weapons.

"What Mister Cyrus says is true," one of the slaves trailing behind them pipe up. She was a bit of a mousy thing, with frizzy brown hair and beautiful golden eyes. She gave a start at the attention suddenly thrown at her, but she squared her shoulders, holding her head up high. "I come from northern Parthevia. I saw how'd the Parth' soldiers tr'at the prisoners they captured, and it was horrible, I tell ya. When we got captured by Reim's army, I was so scared I was at the point o' killing myself just so they couldn't torture me like I saw the Parth' soldiers did, but while the Reim people didn't welcome us with a feast 'n a party, at least they tr'at us with more humanity, even if they was gonna sell us off as slaves."

Ja'far inspected the girl who had spoken up—she had a thin frame with traces of bone jutting out in her shoulders and elbows. Her hair was frizzy and her skin was pasty, but her eyes were alive and there was a certain glow to her aura. In Napolia, he had seen slaves who were treated horribly, but there were also slaves who he had even mistaken as scholars or nobles at first glance. There was a wide disparity in the treatment depending on who their owners were, but the possibility was indeed there; he could not deny that.

Here in Lavinium though, the quality of life for a slave seemed higher than even the average citizen's in Parthevia.

Sinbad eyed the girl thoughtfully, not letting any emotion appear on his face.

"...Are you happy here?" he finally asked after a minute of tension that seemed to stretch for hours.

"Yes," the girl replied immediately and without any hesitancy. "And if ya ask the others here, they'd say the same. I know it."

* * *

The doctor checked on Hinahoho, applying a salve on his wounds and wrapping him in fresh bandages. He assured them that since the Imuchakk had a sturdier grit, the anti-coagulant should fully exit his system within a few hours. They were cleaned and dressed in new clothes, their dirtied ones carted off for washing. That they managed to procure a set of robes even for Hinahoho in such short notice was impressive.

Once they were presentable, Cyrus led them to a small, private triclinium. The cushioned couches were angled upward towards the center and placed in a U-shape, filling practically the entire room. On the table in the middle was set a golden cornucopia as a centerpiece, with jeweled crops spilling out of it. The blonde slave left as soon as they had entered the room, assuring them that someone was on his way to serve them refreshments, asking them to wait just a while longer for their hostess to arrive.

Sinbad thanked and dismissed him kindly.

"What is this, a bedroom?" Hinahoho asked out loud when the three of them were finally left alone. "Are those beds? I thought we were going to eat?"

"It's a formal dining room," Sinbad said as he climbed onto the middle couch. "In Reim, eating while lying down is the fancy thing to do. The Master took me along to a dinner party like this once."

"Eh? Won't that cause indigestion?" the Imuchakk asked with furrowed brows as he and Ja'far hesitantly followed their lord's lead, sitting down on the couch Sinbad pointed to.

"I got used to it by the end," Sinbad shrugged, lying down and grabbing one of the pillows to place under him.

Since the Imuchakk was too large to lie down, he simply sat. Another servant came into the room carrying a shining silver pitcher and matching goblets. They were poured cups of wine, which Sinbad heartily helped himself to.

"The young miss will soon arrive," the servant informed them. "Please wait a while longer."

"This is hard," Ja'far grumbled as he tried to drink while lying down. "And don't get drunk so early."

"The trick is to lie on your side, and not flat on your stomach," Sinbad told him.

"This really is good stuff though," Hinahoho said as took a sip. "A lot of the fine wines come from this area, right?"

"Lavinium provides nearly 60% of Reim's agricultural produce, and their specialty product is wine," Ja'far said. "The wedding ceremony is on the first day of their harvest festival, the Vinalia Urbana. They bless and sample the last year's wine, and ask for good weather until the next harvest. That girl also mentioned some kind of drinking competition, right?"

"Drinking competition?" Sinbad repeated, his golden eyes flickering.

Ja'far narrowed his eyes. "Don't even think about it."

"The old guy from the temple was the undefeated champion though, right?" Hinahoho added. "Like, forty years running or something."

"That man doesn't enter the competition anymore, but the reigning king has been undefeated for five years now."

The three of them turned their heads to door, where Claudia was assisting an elderly man who walked with a limp. He was adorned in rich purple robes lined with gold at the hems, and he carried a cane of dark wood with a golden bull's head as the handle.

"If you want to challenge him, you're more than welcome. I don't think anyone can beat Mzali, though," the man said with a chortle.

Another servant followed behind them, carrying a cushioned stool and placing it in front of the table.

"Careful now, Grandfather," Claudia said as she assisted the man onto the chair.

Ja'far blinked. If that girl called this man 'Grandfather,' then that meant—

"Sir Claudius, I am greatly honored to meet you." Sinbad was already off the couch and bowing to the man. His subordinates quickly followed suit.

Claudius Cornelius was a man who had aged well, keeping his face clean-shaven and having near to no age lines despite being in his mid-sixties. His gray hair was almost inseparable from the dull blonde his natural color had regressed to, and all in all, he did not look like someone who was getting along in the years.

He looked around the room, carefully examining each of them with his bright, blue-green eyes.

"President Sinbad, please. I am the one who is honored to meet the legendary dungeon capturer," Sir Claudius said, gesturing for them to rise. "King Rashid notified me that you would be coming in his place. When I heard my granddaughter had brought you to our home, I just had to come. This girl is quite a handful. I hope she didn't give you any trouble?"

"Not at all, my lord," Sinbad replied with a smile. "The Lady Claudia has been nothing but kind to us."

"I see. That's good, that's good," the old man mumbled. He raised a hand, snapping his fingers. "Come now, Servius. Bring in the food for our guests."

Sinbad went back up to the middle couch, from where he could face the head of the Cornelius family. Ja'far and Hinahoho were on the couch to his left, and Claudia had settled herself on the one across theirs, to Sinbad's right.

A wave of servants came into the room, carrying all sorts of dishes. Everything was laid onto the table, within arm's reach of the diners. Once Sir Claudius dug in, the rest of them followed. A round of pleasantries and introductions was made, and some idle chat followed.

"Oh, Sir Hinahoho is the National Chief's son-in-law? The Imuchakk products have a good reputation here in my city, especially the food," Sir Claudius said. He threw his granddaughter a quick glance. "This girl here has unmatched taste in seafood, and she's been shouting about the eel for ages. You wouldn't perhaps be interested in submitting them for the Seal of the Golden Bull, would you? The recommendation process is over, and the new panel is to be gathered in two months, but I can probably write you down last minute..."

"My lord is too generous," Sinbad replied with a wide smile. The Seal of the Golden Bull was the ultimate seal of approval a service or good could ever receive, and anything that bore it would become highly sought after, not only in Reim but also in the foreign countries that traded with it. Though today it was officially issued by Reim's Ministry of Trade, it was originally a royal warrant given by the Cornelius family when Lavinium was still an independent state. Even until now, their company headed the panels and they still essentially had the final say.

If the recommendation came from this man himself, then it was practically guaranteed that they passed.

"Well then, Servius, make sure to give them the forms before they leave," Sir Claudius told his assistant. Turning back to them, he said, "Read them over and prepare everything once you get back to your company. I'll tell them to make processing your submission a priority. It should make it to the panel if the paperwork is finished within the month."

"Ah, please hand it to Ja'far, and he'll take care of it," Sinbad told the servant.

"Yes, my lords."

"Oh? You would leave such a matter to such a young man?" Sir Claudius questioned, glancing between him and the white-haired boy. Ja'far stilled for a moment as the elderly man's eyes landed on him, his scrutiny giving even a former assassin chills.

"He might not look it, but Ja'far is one of my senior officers and most trusted confidantes," Sinbad smiled. "It shouldn't surprise you, Sir Claudius, for the president himself is only sixteen."

"Hmm, I heard the rumors, but I suppose I should ask for confirmation," Sir Claudius said, his eyes shimmering. "Is it true that your company is a congregation of juvenile misfits? He hides them, but I know those weapons. Someone once tried to kill me with something similar, when the war with Parthevia was still at its peak. This boy with you is a Shamlash assassin, is he not?"

Both Hinahoho and Ja'far gave a start, the mentioned assassin even choking slightly on his food, but Sinbad didn't miss a beat.

"Yes, Ja'far is a former assassin, but I must also correct another thing you said," the dungeon conqueror smoothly replied. "My company is not simply 'juvenile' misfits, for there are also much older people who lend us their knowledge and experience. It is true that we mostly comprise of the next generation, but in essence, we are people who want to change the world."

"You speak as if that is a simple task," the elderly man commented airily. "I have to say though, that's quite ambitious, even for a dungeon conqueror."

"You of all people should know the true power of a dungeon conquer, my lord," Sinbad responded. He stole a quick glance the blonde girl who was busy with arraging several slices of different cheeses on a flat piece of bread, for all eyes looking fully absorbed in her task. "Your granddaughter has told me much of the history of this place, and your family."

Sir Claudius set an elbow on the armrest of his chair, leaning his cheek against the back of his hand.

"And tell me, boy, how much of that power have you unlocked?"

"As you might suspect, not nearly enough for my true purpose," Sinbad said. "And that is why I come to you for help."

"Do tell," Sir Claudius replied, "what this old man could possibly offer you, and what good it would do to hand it over."

Sitting up, Sinbad crossed his legs, placing his hands on his knees.

"If I may be so presumptuous to say, what I dream of is something similar to what your family has achieved, Sir Claudius," Sinbad started with a smile. "For years now, your company has been the bridge that connects the western and eastern continents. These two sides of the world have remarkably different cultures and ideals—not just as individual entities, but also within themselves—and yet they are all able to acknowledge, accept, and befriend each other. They learn from one another, and share their strengths and resources. True, it has not been without any troubles, but is not the merchants' world a symbol of what we can achieve? Why can't countries create pacts and agreements instead of trying to kill and conquer each other through force, harming thousands of lives in their wake?

"I admit that it's not possible for everyone to share the same kinds of thoughts, but the trade industry proves that they can at least understand and come into agreement with each other. And that is the kind of world that I dream of. To bring about peace, I want to create a country that can mediate between the warring nations and lead them to acknowledge each other. The reason I became a merchant is not only to gather the funds necessary to build a country, but also to learn how this world works so that I can apply it on a larger scale. I am still weak, and I know that. I am a dungeon conqueror, but that's not enough. The power of one person alone can't move the world."

Seafoam met gold.

"Sir Claudius, will you not lend me your knowledge and experience so than we can achieve true peace?"

The older man sighed lightly, giving the boy in front of him a small smile.

"Well, I suppose it's a nice, moving speech."

The dungeon conqueror blinked.

"Boy, you say you want to rid the world of conflict, but do you even know why there is conflict in the first place?"

Sinbad steeled his gaze. "Because people have differences. They have differences in ideals and cultures, and it leads them to value different things. I want to make the people of the world accept and acknowledge those differences between them."

"I see..." Sir Claudius sighed lightly, standing up from his seat. A servant was immediately by his side. "You're on the right track, but you're not quite there yet. You asked for knowledge and experience, so consider this a lesson: the merchants' world is not the whole world, and you still have not seen that thing you want change. There is no one, all-in solution for what you want to achieve. But the possibility is within you. You are special. You know it, and I recognize that.

"I am willing to give you what you ask, but you must earn it. Only when you have figured out what it is we are truly up against will I lend you my full support. There is conflict in this world because there are different people trying to achieve different things, not only because they have differences in ideals, cultures, and beliefs, but because they are different on a much baser level. That is why they naturally go down a path so far from our own. If you wish to achieve your goal, you would need to do more than change someone's thoughts or their way of thinking."

The head of the Cornelius family gave them a grim smile. He set a hand on the doorway, turning to look at the dungeon conqueror one last time.

"However, I have high hopes for someone as... ah, _unique_ as yourself, Sinbad. A good night to you all."

Sir Claudius nodded once before disappearing into the hall.

"Well," Claudia started, speaking up for the first time since the meal started. "That was a half-pass, I guess?"

Turning his head, Sinbad smiled slowly at the girl who had led them around by their noses.

"I had the gut feeling that meeting someone like the Lady Claudia was no coincidence," Sinbad told her, and the statement was more genuine than even he expected it to be.

Claudia plucked a grape from a bunch on a plate in front of her. "It wasn't a coincidence, but I'm afraid it wasn't quite planned either."

The corner of his lips twitched up, a grin threatening to break onto his face. This girl was always full of contradictions. She kept jumping from one end of the spectrum to the other, yet still her scales remained perfectly balanced. It was different from the careful line-treading act most of the powerful people he had met until now did—that he and her grandfather did. One moment she was an entitled brat who didn't know how to shut up, and the next she was this meek little thing who he forgot was even in the same room as him. The only thing that remained constant about her was her observant gaze—her blue-green eyes that watched intently and purposefully, like the sea that immersed everything into its depths. It kept her balanced despite the various shifts in her demeanor, and it gave the impression that she was innocent enough to be someone honest, though certain kinds of people may have read it differently.

Whether it was something good or bad was something he still hadn't decided on, but it was refreshing in a way, and the challenge she posed was something he found himself drawn to, for better or worse.

"Then it must have been fate."

Claudia's eyes flickered. "Maybe. In any case, you're all welcome to stay the night, but if you'd prefer, I can have someone safely accompany you back to your lodgings instead."

"The young lady has already shown us the utmost generosity. We cannot possibly ask for more," Sinbad said. He met her eyes with his head still bowed slightly, his mouth curving at the ends. "I suppose we'll next see each other at the wedding?"

Three agonizing seconds ticked by before she mirrored his expression.

"I suppose we will."

* * *

Home was beautiful as always.

"It's a breathtaking sight," a girl exclaimed. She was young, no older than thirteen, dressed in heavily embroidered robes with her red hair decorated with sparkling jewels. She stood at the helm of the ship, staring at the skyline of the city they were approaching while the wind blew in her face. "The architecture is completely different from what I'm used to in Kou and Shiraz. So this is the western continent!"

"Lavinium is the first great civilization to rise in the known world," the dark-haired woman beside her said. She was also fairly young, with intelligent amber eyes and porcelain skin. She covered herself in swathes of pale orange cloth lined with black and long tassles at the ends. She gazed at the same scenery as the younger girl, "Its history goes back nearly a thousand years, and it's still counting."

"I have heard some stories from my honorable husband, as well as from my esteemed elder brother, Lord Kouen," the red-haired girl, Princess Koujun, replied. "They both share an interest in Torran scriptures, and Lavinium is a valuable source of reading materials for them."

"The original language of our people was Torran, as we had adopted it from the settlements close by, down to the south," the dark-haired woman replied. "It is what most of our oldest documents are written in. We only began widespread usage of the common tongue after being absorbed into the Reim Empire."

"The truth is, my honourable husband wanted to attend this wedding very much, if only to have the chance to visit Lavinium," Princess Koujun whispered diabolically. "But His Majesty, King Rahim, is attending, so my husband, the Crown Prince, needed to stay in the kingdom to look after it. That is why he sent me instead, to experience what he could not—and to buy him souvenirs."

"The Crown Prince did seem to enjoy discussing Lavinium's history with my stepson," the dark-haired woman smiled. "It seems Scipio would get along well with your elder brother, too."

"Brother Kouen simply loves to read," Princess Koujun gushed. "He's always holed up in either the library or his study, poring over whatever scrolls or tablets he can get his hands on. It drives Brother Koumei mad with worry when he forgets to return to his room for the night. But recently, I heard Brother Kouen has been undergoing special training with our Oracle. Still, I know he would have loved to come and visit Lavinium as well."

"Lavinium's ports are open to all. If ever your elder brother wishes to visit and study, let him know that we will welcome him at the Cornelius Estate."

"Lady Maren is too kind," Princess Koujun demurred. "I will send my brother a letter telling him so, along with souvenirs from your wonderful home. He will be overjoyed."

"Not at all, Princess. I am fond of learning as well, so seeing the younger generation so eager to learn about history and their roots brings joy to my heart," Lady Maren replied. "And I had heard of Kou's esteemed Oracle. It is a boy much younger than Oracle Abril, and he is even touted to be one of the Three Legendary Magi, is he not?"

"Yes, Oracle Judar is but a boy of five, but his power is beyond human comprehension, the Empress tells us," Princess Koujun said. "I do worry about Brother Kouen, but it seems he was chosen by the Oracle for a great task, and I have faith in his abilities. The Crown Prince Hakuyuu and Second Prince Hakuren also endorsed him for this task, I heard."

"Oh? That sounds most interesting," Lady Maren smiled. "Pray tell, what is this 'great task' you speak of?"

"I do not know the details," Princess Koujun admitted. "I have not heard much news from my country other than what my siblings relay to me in letters, and it is mostly about their own concerns. The Empress occasionally sends me notes and gifts as well, bless her gracious soul. She is the one who told me about the Oracle choosing Brother Kouen and the start of his training—she is also the one who suggested I send souvenirs from Lavinium to Brother Kouen. She said he was green with envy after hearing I would be visiting it for the marriage ceremony!"

"Well then, we would have to make sure that we are able to get the best souvenirs for both him and the Crown Prince Mardan," Lady Maren said, placing a hand on the younger girl's head and smoothing down some stray strands of hair. "Ah, my stepdaughter, Claudia, should also be in attendance. She's good at things like choosing gifts, so we can get her to help us with searching for souvenirs."

Princess Koujun smiled widely. "I have heard much of Lady Claudia from Lord Scipio. I feel like I have known her my whole life. Lord Scipio mentioned that she was well-read in Torran scriptures? She is also someone who would get along well with Brother Kouen and my honorable husband, I think."

"Claudia can get along with anyone and everyone," Lord Scipio interrupted their conversation, going over to them with a bright smile on his face and a sleepy-looking Fanalis trailing behind him. "She's sweet and smart, and beautiful and talented, and kind and generous. Being in her presence is like basking in sunlight. She is a star whose light is never extinguished. She will forever continue to shine brightly and blaze gloriously. Crown Prince Mardan and Lord Kouen would definitely fall in love with her at first sight! The Princess Koujun will, too! I'm sure that my soon-to-be wife is already enamored with her!"

"I'm sure that she is a wonderful person for Lord Scipio to speak of her as such," Princess Koujun recited.

"She is! She's wondrous, marvelous, fabulous, stupendous!" Scipio enthused. "Right, Mzali!?"

"Yes."

"I heard from Lord Gaius that she was the talk of the capital when she arrived!" Scipio gossiped. "She had the Alexius heir searching all over Remano for her when he heard news of her arrival! I confirmed it with Lord Vernus of the Marcellus Company when he was here on a business trip."

"The Alexius family is quite prominent in Reim, is it not? I do not know much of Reim's political climate, but I do know that they are influential people," Princess Koujun said.

"She is sure to become Vestalis Maxima one day. Claudia is great! She's magnificent! Right, Mzali!?"

"The young miss is amazing, yes."

"I know, right!?"

"We're almost anchoring at the port, " Lady Maren piped up, placing the hand of the grinning Kou princess in the crook of her elbow and steering her away. Looking over her shoulder, she told her stepson and his guard, "Mzali, take Scipio to his father; he's fetching Their Majesties, King Rahim and Queen Guzalnur, and will be accompanying them as they disembark. Princess Koujun and I will fetch and accompany the Oracle and her retinue, alright?"

The Fanalis placed a hand on his excitable master's shoulder, egging him towards the cabins.

"Yes, madam."

* * *

It was the middle of the afternoon and the sun hung high in the sky. Claudia leant against the railing on the lookout point of Mount Olympos, staring at the ugly black patch that lay just beyond the vineyards of Lavinium. It was a stretch of charred land wherein death permeated its very soil, killing everything that tried to live in it. It was a dangerous place that brought sickness to any who tried to come near it, and for years it had been cordoned off, unapproachable by normal citizens.

It was a stain in the beautiful and rich territory of her family, and the weakening power vested in their blood could no longer fix it.

No, that wasn't quite right. After entering the service of the High Priestess and being enlightened in the ways of magic and magicians, she now better understood upon seeing it once more.

It wasn't that Haagenti's blessing could no longer reach the Black Spot—something was preventing Haagenti's power from reaching it.

Claudia clutched the wooden railing, leaning forward. There was something there—in that mass of death, something was _alive_.

She could sense it, beating and fluttering, a faint buzz echoing in her ears. The more she tried to identify the feeling it gave her, the more it felt like an incessant siren's song was filling her head, clouding her mind and confusing her even further. It reminded her somehow of the rukh that supposedly made up all things, but it was still different—this was something else entirely, she understood that much.

But most of all, it was familiar.

_"Claudia, don't let go."_

The sound of a horn blared from somewhere in the distance, and she turned her head towards the sea. A ship was coming in from the horizon, a shadow against the light of the sun.

The party from Shiraz was here.


End file.
